NEW DELHI: Chennai Super Kings' Tushar Deshpande on Friday became the first cricketer to be used as an impact player of the Indian Premier League, when skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni decided to bring in the pacer in place of the batter Ambati Rayudu in the tournament opener against Gujarat Titans.
Asked to bat first, Dhoni-led CSK posted a competitive total of 178 for 7, riding on an impressive knock of 92 from opener Ruturaj Gaikwad at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad. Ruturaj smacked nine maximums and four fours during his whirlwind 50-ball knock.
For hosts GT, pacers Mohammed Shami (2/29), Alzarri Joseph (2/33) and spinner Rashid Khan (2/26) shared two CSK wickets each.
When CSK came out to defend the total, right-arm pacer Deshpande came out for the four-time champions in place of Rayudu, making him the first player to use the new Impact Player rule.
Rayudu scored 12 runs, off 12 balls, with the bat for CSK before Ireland's Joshua Little's first IPL wicket.
Deshpande plays for Mumbai in the domestic circuit and has 62 T20 wickets from 43 matches so far.
Gujarat Titans then brought in left-handed batter Sai Sudharsan as their impact player in the fourth over of their run chase, in place of Kane Williamson, who suffered an injury while trying to stop a six in the CSK innings.
Sudharsan came in to bat at No.3 for GT after Rajvardhan Hangargekar dismissed opener Wriddhiman Saha (25 off 16).
IPL Impact Player rule explained
TimesofIndia.com here gives you a recap of this new and exciting rule and exactly how it will work:
What: IPL Impact Player Rule
When: Starting from IPL 2023
How will the teams choose their Impact Player?
The teams, along with their starting XIs will have to name 4 substitute players at the toss. The Impact player will have to be picked from this list.
Does the Impact Player always have to be an Indian player?
No. This depends entirely on how many foreign players a team has named in its playing XI. Hypothetically if there is a MI vs KKR match and MI has named 4 foreign players in their starting XI, then they can only bring in an Indian Impact Player. However, if KKR have named 3 or fewer foreign players in their playing XI, they will be allowed to bring in a foreign Impact Player. The player though will have to be part of the 4 subs named at the toss. The reasoning behind this rule is simple - to make sure that only 4 foreign players are a part of a playing XI at any given point in time for a team. It's a rule that has stayed constant since the league began.
When can the impact players be brought in by the teams?
Teams can either bring in their Impact Player right at the start of the innings. The Impact Player can also be brought in either at the end of an over, a fall of a wicket or when a batter retires (to make way for the Impact Player). However, if the bowling side brings in the Impact Player after the fall of a wicket or after a batter has retired, the Impact Player will not be able to complete the over that is already underway and will have to wait to bowl till the next over.
Can a player replaced by the Impact Player play any role afterwards in the match?
No. A replaced player can't step onto the field once replaced, not even as a substitute fielder
How will the IPL ensure that there are only 11 batters per team when an extra player, ie the Impact Player can come in and bat?
Whenever the batting side calls in an Impact Player to come in and bat - after a batter has been dismissed or has retired - one player (a bowler presumably) will not get to bat.
Can an Impact Player brought in by the bowling side bowl 4 overs?
Yes. Regardless of how many overs a player who has been replaced by the Impact Player has bowled, the Impact Player will be allowed to bowl his full quota of 4 overs. What this means is that teams can strategise such that they bowl out a bowler who is most effective in the power plays and then replace him with a bowler who can trouble batters in the death overs.
