New Delhi: Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper Axar Patel said he is personally not in favour of the Impact Player rule in the Indian Premier League (IPL), saying that it reduces the role of all-rounders in the ten-team tournament, whose 19th edition starts on March 28, IANS reported.
The Impact Player rule, introduced in 2023, allows all ten IPL teams to substitute either a batter or a bowler in any innings of the match. "I don't like this rule, honestly, because I am an all-rounder. Earlier, you would pick an all-rounder for batting and bowling.
"But because of this rule, the team management goes for a particular batsman or bowler, thinking 'Why do we need an allrounder?' Since I am an allrounder, I don't like the rule. At the same time, rules are rules and we need to follow them. From a personal point of view though, I don't like the rule," said Axar in a pre-season press conference on Monday.
DC will open their IPL 2026 campaign against Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on April 1. This is not the first time Axar has expressed displeasure about the ruling – in 2024, as DC’s vice-captain, Axar had said that his batting position was affected by the Impact Player rule.
Despite an IPL career economy rate of 7.3, Axar endured his weakest bowling season last year since joining DC in 2019, conceding at 8.5 runs per over and taking just five wickets in 11 innings. He clarified that his lean bowling returns last year were due to a finger injury sustained during the victorious 2025 Champions Trophy campaign and not caused by the Impact Player rule.