David Warner, the most successful overseas cricketer in Indian Premier League history, has suggested an additional overseas player as an aftermath to the introduction of the Impact Player.
“Play five overseas players. You need to play five,” Warner told The Hindu. “You have got 12 players that are playing (in a team, including the Impact Player) anyway at the moment, so you might as well make it five.”
It may sound radical but with an increasing feeling of team combinations having been diluted with the introduction of two additional teams, it will be interesting to see if the Delhi Capitals veteran’s suggestion will be considered ahead of the full auction.
With the Impact Player introduction itself being questioned in various quarters, Warner had no issues with the rule. In fact, Warner hinted at T20 cricket heading towards some of its more fancied franchise league-based global sports properties in terms of rules.
“If you play 12, it helps because then you can play your six genuine bowlers and that all-rounder becomes sort of not required, if it makes sense.
“But you know they do a job and predominantly more if you are a batting all-rounder. I think it’s a good thing for the game. Eventually the game might get to just the batting team and a bowling team and a fielding team.”
Having retired from the two longer formats of the game, Warner has announced he will hang up his boots from international cricket at the end of the T20 World Cup in June. But the dashing opener stressed he will keep coming back to India for the IPL.
“For me, it’s about spending time with family, but I’ll prioritise IPL and Big Bash. I am doing commentary and I’ll probably play one or two, maybe in the middle of the year, just to keep your cricket skills up,” Warner said, explaining his plans post international retirement.
“I might even go back to NSW (New South Wales, his provincial team) to play some stuff there to help out with the young guys. There is a lot of things that I can do in that opportunity in that sense.”
