BCCI eliminates Impact Player rule in Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s

The BCCI has announced the decision to remove the Impact Player rule from the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy (SMAT). This rule, which was initially introduced in SMAT and later adopted by the Indian Premier League (IPL), will no longer be in effect for the upcoming tournament.

"Kindly note that the BCCI has decided to do away with the provision of the 'Impact Player' for the ongoing season," the BCCI informed the state associations on Monday.

The BCCI's decision to do away with the Impact Player comes shortly after they decided to retain it in the IPL for the next three seasons, up to 2027. Since its introduction in the 2023 season, the rule has stirred debate over whether it is indeed beneficial to Indian cricket, which was the original motive, or whether it could be hurting the development of allrounders. Several high-profile players such as Rohit Sharma had expressed concerns over the rule saying it could be detrimental to the development of allrounders.

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"I generally feel that it is going to hold back (development of allrounders) because eventually cricket is played by 11 players, not 12 players. I'm not a big fan of impact player. You are taking out so much from the game just to make it little entertainment for the people around," Rohit had said on the Club Prairie podcast.

In May this year, the BCCI secretary Jay Shah had referred the rule as "a test case" in the IPL and that this "is not permanent [but] I am not saying that it will go."

Saurashtra head coach Niraj Odedra welcomed the BCCI's decision. "It is nice change. Also the ICC doesn't have this rule in major tournaments So it would be good for cricketers who want to play for India as they graduate from domestic season," he said.