IPL 2026: After Akshar Patel, Shubman Gill also raised questions on the rule of impact player, will BCCI remove this rule now?

IPL 2026: Before the start of the 19th season of the Indian Premier League, the discussion regarding the Impact Player rule has become heated. Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill has expressed his displeasure over this rule. After Akshar Patel, now Gill has also joined the list of players raising questions on this rule. He said that this rule is affecting the real skill and balance of cricket.

Shubman Gill’s statement

Shubman Gill clearly said in the press conference that cricket is basically a game of 11 players. he insisted, "According to me, cricket is a game of 11 players. The kind of pitch and field on which we play, adding an extra batsman disturbs the balance of the game and reduces the skill."

Gill believes that playing with limited number of batsmen is the real challenge. If early wickets fall early, then managing the team and scoring is the true test of the players. Because of the impact player rule, the game is becoming easy and one-sided. He said that chasing 160-180 runs on a difficult pitch is more exciting, whereas making a big score on a flat pitch is not that difficult.

Other captains are also worried

Before Shubman Gill, Delhi Capitals captain Akshar Patel had also objected to this rule. In the IPL captains’ meeting held in Mumbai, many captains expressed their concerns before the BCCI. Players like Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya have also given their opinion on this issue earlier.

BCCI’s decision

BCCI has made it clear that the impact player rule will continue till 2027. This was discussed in the captains’ meeting, but the board has still refused to change it. Gill admitted that this rule could increase entertainment for the audience, but personally he does not like it. He said, "We talked about this in the captains’ meeting. This rule will remain in place till 2027, but I personally don’t like it much."

What are the impact player rules?

Under this rule, apart from the playing eleven, both the teams have to give the names of 5-5 substitute players. Any one of them can be fielded as an impact player during the match. This player can both bat or bowl, but the player in his place is out of the match and cannot return.