Finished the purpose of all-rounders

Former Pakistan legendary speedster Wasim Akram recently expressed his dislike for the Impact Player rule introduced in the IPL. He believes the rule has diminished the importance of all-rounders, as teams know they can bring in an extra batter or bowler to fill the requirement.

Akram also shed light on the Power Surge rule in the Big Bash League (BBL) and how it allows the batting team to use two of the powerplay overs in the second half of their innings. He backed such innovative thinking.

Speaking exclusively on Sportskeeda’s SK Match ki Baat, here’s what Wasim Akram had to say about the Impact Player rule:

“I don’t like the Impact Player rule at all. I liked what they did in the Big Bash League that they had four overs of powerplay upfront and then the batting team could take the remaining two overs anytime between 11-20 overs. They called it Power Surge. This impact rule has finished the purpose of all-rounders.”

Akram called for more balance between bat and ball and opined that the Power Surge rule used in the BBL could have been a better alternative to the Impact Player rule.

Wasim Akram believes Impact Player rule is the reason for massive IPL totals

Wasim Akram also shared his opinion on the plethora of high-scoring games in IPL 2024. He feels the Impact Player rule has given batters the freedom to go even harder and that’s why totals of 250+ are being scored consistently.

Akram said:

“It (Impact Player rule) has certainly led to big totals being scored consistently. You want to see more close games. Yes 270 playing 270 is also a close game, but it should be a one-off. It need not be that 250 is becoming a frequent occurrence. Two-three years ago no one would have thought this would happen.”

He added:

“I feel pitches should be such that even a 170 score could produce an interesting game. The new ball should help the bowlers and then the batters once set can reap the rewards. The cricket boards around the world need to think about this.”

Wasim Akram believes that since the T20 World Cup will not have the Impact Player rule and the pitches might grip a little, it will be more interesting for the spectators.