IPL 2023: Impact Player Rule Has Lessened The Utility Of All-Rounders, Says KKR's Venkatesh Iyer

In-form Kolkata Knight Riders batter Venkatesh Iyer feels that the impact player rule, introduced from the ongoing season of the IPL, has lessened the role of all-rounders in the team.Iyer, the second highest run-scorer with 234 runs had been used by Kolkata as an impact player in all of their games till now, in a bid to maximise their efforts with the bat.

"Honestly, with the coming of the Impact Player rule, the number of overs an all-rounder is bowling has dropped down drastically.

"Obviously, if a team has a specialist bowler as their sixth bowler, then they don't want to try their all-rounder. This is what the Impact Player rule has brought - it has lessened the utility of all-rounders," Venkatesh said in the pre-match press conference.

At the same time, Iyer feels teams have become accustomed to the rule.

"It's a very interesting rule that has come into place. If you are playing in the IPL, the think tank is so big in every team that I guess they might have figured it out in the very first match itself. By now, everyone knows how to use the Impact Player. If you see the results, the Impact Players are turning out to be an X factor," he said.

Iyer had lit up the tournament with a 51-ball 104 against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, becoming just the second centurion for Kolkata in the IPL though the two-time champions ended up on the losing side.

All of his big-hitting blitzkrieg in IPL 2023 and stepping up in the absence of an injured Shreyas Iyer looked very distant six months ago, when a freakish injury to his left ankle put him on the sidelines and through a long process of recovery and rehab.

Though Venkatesh insisted that he can bowl in the competition, something which hasn't happened yet, he is presently grateful to be a part of being on the field and playing in IPL 2023.

"I am 100 per cent ready to bowl. I was given clearance by the NCA, and they don't clear you unless you have 100% recovered. But I think the most pleasing thing is not the runs that I am scoring," the KKR batter said.

"The thing is that I am back on the field and playing in such a big tournament. Scoring and all is secondary, I am really grateful to the almighty that now I am just able to play because six months back, I didn't think that I would be able to do it," he added.

Venkatesh signed off by noting 50-over cricket has now more scoring opportunities despite fielding restrictions, thanks to the advent of free-flowing stroke-play in T20s.

"With the two new balls, fielding restrictions are more in the 50 over format. I think there's a lot of difference tactically also in 50 overs and T20 but in white-ball formats they are very similar when it comes to stroke making," Iyer said.

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"The way teams are looking at run rate is pretty much similar. Any target is achievable, be it 20 over or 50 over. In the last 10 overs, players back themselves to chase down 120 runs. It was not the case a few years back. Due to T20 cricket, people are starting to look at 50-over cricket as an opportunity to score more," he concluded.