New Delhi, Dec 24 (PTI) The new rule of having an ‘Impact Player’ during the upcoming IPL could just be the “second wind” that some of the veteran players require at the end of their careers, feel coaches and experts associated with various franchises.

The ‘Impact Player Rule’ allows a team to have four such players named in a squad of 15 before the match and they can be substitute any time during a team’s innings by the 14th over.

However, that player has to be an Indian in case the playing XI has all four overseas players. Only if playing XI has three overseas players, then an overseas player comes in place of another as ‘Impact Substitute’.

Call it a coincidence, but four veterans, 40-year-old Amit Mishra (166 wickets), 34-year olds Piyush Chawla (157 wickets), Mohit Sharma (92 wickets) and Ishant Sharma (84 wickets) whose India careers are all but over have been bought at their respective base prices of Rs 50 lakh in the auction.

Mishra was picked by Lucknow Super Giants which has two battle hardened coach-cum mentor pair of Gautam Gambhir-Vijay Dahiya. Delhi Capitals roped in Ishant, while Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra having bowled alongside Mohit during latter’s best years in CSK, has decided to give him a chance.

Not to forget the wily Chawla, who had made his Test debut more than 16 summers back as a teenager, is back with the Mumbai Indians.

“Amit Mishra is a fantastic call by Gautam and his coaching staff. Look, you don’t need to check his skills as he is among the top three wicket-takers of all time in IPL. Yes, he is 40 years, isn’t the best of fielders and can’t hit sixes at the end. But now you don’t need to keep him in playing XI for entire duration,” a domestic coach, who has closely worked with Gambhir, told

Source: PTI News