The Indian Premier League (IPL) is undoubtedly the most popular T20 league in the world. Every year, fans eagerly wait for the tournament to begin and fantasy cricket fans gear up to create their dream teams on platforms like Dream11. The IPL 2023 season has introduced a new rule – the Impact Player Rule – which has changed the dynamics of the game. In this blog, we will discuss the top 3 instances where the Impact Player Rule was strategically used in IPL 2023 and how it impacted the total fantasy points for Dream11 users. The Impact Player Rule: A Quick Recap before we dive into the instances, let’s quickly recap the Impact Player Rule. The rule allows each team to designate one player as “Impact Player” for each match out of the 5 substitutes. An Impact player can come in at the start of an innings, at the fall of a wicket, at the end of an over or if a batsman is retiring. But if the batman is being replaced due to injury, then the replaced player will have no impact on the remaining game. Also, if the Impact Player is coming at the fall of a wicket in the middle of an over and is a bowler himself, he cannot replace the current bowler and the current bowler needs to continue to finish that over.
The Impact Player Rule turned the tide in crucial moments, showcasing the true power of game-changing talent.
Top 3 Instances of Impact Player Rule in IPL 2023: (source: https://www.crictracker.com/ , https://www.iplt20.com/ , https://www.espncricinfo.com/ , https://wisden.com/ )
- In the 7th match of the 2023 cash-rich league season, Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans faced off. Delhi batted first and scored 162 runs, largely thanks to contributions from Axar Patel and Abhishek Porel. Gujarat Titans were struggling at 54-3, but they brought in Impact Player Vijay Shankar at number five. Shankar and Sai Sudharsan put together a 53-run partnership to get Gujarat back on track. Sudharsan and David Miller then guided Gujarat to victory in 18.1 overs, with Sudharsan unbeaten on 62 and Miller on 31 not out.
- The Eden Gardens hosted the ninth match of the T20 tournament between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore. After being put into bat, Kolkata amassed a mammoth total of 204 runs, with Shardul Thakur leading the charge with 68 runs off 29 deliveries. The KKR spinners then wreaked havoc on the Bangalore batting unit, with Varun Chakaravarthy claiming four wickets and Suyash Sharma, making his IPL debut as an Impact Player, taking three wickets. They restricted RCB to a paltry 123 runs in 17.4 overs, securing an emphatic victory for KKR.
- During match 53 of IPL 2023 between KKR and PBKS, Jason Roy and Nathan Ellis were included as Impact Players respectively. Ellis was brought in to replace Bhanuka Rajapaksha in the Punjab Squad, while Roy replaced Suyash Sharma for the Knight Riders. As an opener, Roy played a decent innings scoring 38 runs off 24 balls, which included 8 boundaries. Meanwhile, Ellis made a significant contribution by getting KKR’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz out.