The Impact Player rule, which has proved to be a boon for a lot of IPL sides is set to be a key topic of discussion in the meeting between BCCI and the IPL franchise owners. The meeting is scheduled to take place on Wednesday the 31st of July in Mumbai and will consist of several important topics of discussion such as the no. of retentions, RTM, etc.
According to a one-page, five-point agenda shared with the franchise owners, the BCCI is looking for some sort of consensus on the ‘Impact Player Rule’.
The rule has divided the cricketing community, especially in IPL. Some feel that the rule is an exciting prospect, while others think that it is killing the integral role of all-rounders in cricket. While the playing and coaching community is believed to be largely opposed to it, the broadcasters – who have invested over Rs 48,000 crore into the league – seem strongly in favor of its continuation.
BCCI itself is unsure about the rule. The rule has two sides to it, the positive being the inclusion of an additional Indian player in the game while the downside is it might negatively impact the development of all-rounders who are crucial to a team’s success at any level of the competition.
The board has, in fact, eliminated the rule from India’s domestic T20 League, The Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament, where it was first trialled before bringing it to the IPL. The final call on the Impact rule might be taken after the talks with the franchise owners on Wednesday.
The other points of the agenda, as expected, will be on the retention issue. The Item No 1 of the agenda lists out the point for consideration:
ITEM NO. 1: Discussion on IPL Player Regulations including:
A. Players Retention / Right to Match
B. Salary Cap (Auction Purse, Incremental Performance Pay & Match Fee)
C. Big Auction
D. Capped to uncapped players
E. Player Trade / Player Loan
The other items on the agenda are:
ITEM NO. 2: Overseas Players
ITEM NO. 3: Discussion on Impact Player Rule
ITEM NO. 4: IPL Gaming rights
ITEM NO. 5: Discussion on IPL Central Merchandising
ITEM NO. 6: To consider any other business matters related to the IPL.
