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Josh Hazlewood, the Australian fast bowler, has given his take on the highly debated “Impact Player” rule in the ongoing 17th edition of the IPL. The 33-year-old spoke about how he isn’t sure about it being a great rule while stating that it allows the likes of Tim David, his teammate from Australia, to bat at number eight and even later.
The “Impact Player” rule allows IPL teams to name five substitutes on the bench, one of whom can take the field in place of a player already in the playing XI anytime during a match. With the smart utilisation of this rule, the teams in the IPL have deepened their batting lineup, allowing them to post higher totals than ever before in the history of the tournament.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have broken the record for the highest team total in the IPL twice, with the current high score standing at 287/3, which came at the expense of Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
I'm not sure it's a great rule: Josh Hazlewood on "Impact Player" rule
Josh Hazlewood spoke about high-scoring games in the IPL 2024, and said, as quoted by Cricket.com.au, “I think it's just purely down to that impact (rule). Batting lineups just seem to be never-ending now. I'm not sure it's a great rule. The conditions have come into play a little bit lately with bowlers having a bit of impact, but I mean, you've got (batters) like Tim David at number eight, sometimes number nine.”
“You don't really feel like you attack and try and get wickets in the Powerplay because what's the point when you've got those guys coming in at those eight, nine spots? Obviously, the crowd loves it - there are 200-plus scores nearly every night - and it's good for batters, but it might need a bit of tinkering. I'm certainly not (keen for it to be used elsewhere),” he added.
Moreover, Josh Hazlewood opted out of the IPL 2024 to stay back at home for the birth of his child. He is a part of the Australian cricket team, who will be travelling to the USA and the Caribbean to play in the T20 World Cup 2024, starting on June 1.
