Sachin Tendulkar called for the scrapping of the IPL’s impact player rule on Saturday, arguing it has pushed the balance of T20 cricket too far in favour of batters. He made the remarks at the ESPNcricinfo awards for the greatest international cricketers of the 21st century, held on the eve of the IPL 2026 final between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.
“I feel there are a few things which, on a personal note that I can say, I think the impact player needs to go away,” Tendulkar said. He expanded on his concern about bowlers: “I feel when in a T20 format you just have to play 20 overs, and then you are adding one more batter to that line-up. Where bowlers are already being challenged, I find that imbalance.”
Introduced in 2023, the impact player rule allows teams to substitute one player from their playing XI with another from a pre-nominated list of five. Critics argue it has boosted scoring rates and reduced bowlers’ influence on matches.
Tendulkar also proposed a split Powerplay system. Under his model, the first four overs would carry existing field restrictions, with two fielders allowed outside the ring. The fielding captain would then choose when to take the remaining two Powerplay overs at any point in the innings, with one extra fielder permitted outside the ring during those overs. “So you are able to control the game better,” he said.
He further argued that leading bowlers deserve the same opportunity as top-order batters to dominate a match. “One bowler should be allowed to bowl five overs. Because invariably the best bowler of the side is going to bowl that fifth over. Wouldn’t you want to see that best bowler bowl more? The top batters are batting sometimes even 20 overs. Why shouldn’t the best bowler be bowling five overs?”
The comparison has limits. A batter can only face 20 overs if wickets hold, which is a function of the game’s natural contest. Allowing a bowler five overs is a structural rule change with a guaranteed outcome, and the two are not directly equivalent. The debate over how to restore bat-ball balance also draws different conclusions from other analysts. Ricky Ponting has suggested trialling rule changes in lower-level competitions first, while Tom Moody and Ian Bishop have instead pointed to pitch preparation as the more effective lever.
Tendulkar received the greatest batter of the 21st century award at the ceremony, voted for by a jury of 25 eminent cricketers.
