Impact Player rule gives more value for strategy, says Ashwin

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has come out in support of the Indian Premier League's highly controversial Impact Player rule, stating that it brings much-needed strategy into the game.

His comments have come at a time when reactions against this rule are intensifying, with leading players like Rohit Sharma criticizing it for affecting the overall development of all-rounders and inflating scores.

Ashwin spoke with Krishnamachari Srikkanth on his YouTube show Cheeky Cheeka and asserted that the rule, rather than hampering the growth of more all-rounders, encourages creativity and strategic acumen in the game.

"Why I think the Impact Player rule is not so bad is because it gives a little more value for strategy. The other side of that argument is it doesn't encourage all-rounders. But no one is stopping them," said Ashwin.

"In this generation, they don't do that, batting and vice-versa. And they are not demoralized due to the Impact Player rule. There's scope for some innovation, and it makes the game fairer, he said.

"Games are getting tighter, an extra player is getting to play. Barring KKR or MI, where scores skyrocketed, they haven't been a drastic change elsewhere. Like at Punjab Kings' home venue, they were all 160-170 games," he further said.

The off-spinning all-rounder also credited the Impact Player rule, saying that it gave a platform for emerging players to turn up the heat. He cited the examples of Shivam Dube, Shahbaz Ahmed, and Dhruv Jurel among others. "If not for the Impact Player rule, he may have never gotten the chance. So the emergence of a lot of players has happened. I'm not saying that's the only way for players to emerge, but it's not so bad," Ashwin said.

While a mega auction is all set to take place for the IPL, another burning issue at the discussion table is the Right to Match option, which is very much in likelihood of being brought back into operation after not being in use since 2018. Ashwin, however is not in favor of bringing it back in its current form.

RTM or Right to Match card is a card allowed to the teams for buying an unretained player who played in the previous edition for them at the highest bidding amount the player has received in that auction, and this card is available only in the mega auction.

Ashwin even suggested that if a franchise has released a player because they do not see him fitting into their top lineup, then they should have no right to reclaim him during the auction. "If a franchise has released a player because they don't see him in their top four or five, then what gives them the right to jump in during an auction," he said.

Instead, Ashwin supported an option RTM which would be more player-friendly. He wanted the players to have a say in whether they want to come under an RTM with a pre-determined contract with a set price decided by the player.

You give the player an option, asking if he wants to be RTM-ed. There should be a binding contract between the parties, stating that he can be RTM-ed only if the price is X amount and leave that pre-determined amount to be decided by the player.