IPL's Impact Player rule meets Sachin Tendulkar's unfiltered judgement

On the eve of the IPL 2026 final between RCB and GT, Sachin Tendulkar delivered a decisive verdict on the controversial Impact Player rule. The Master Blaster didn’t mince his words, insisting that the rule has tilted the balance heavily in favour of batters.

“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 at the ESPNcricinfo awards for the greatest international cricketers of the 21st century. “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 IPL 2023, the rule allows teams to bring in an extra player from a list of five substitutes who are not named in the XI at the toss. Since its inception, scoring rates have surged, leaving bowlers with little margin for error.

Tendulkar’s blueprint to restore balance

Tendulkar also proposed two major changes to restore the balance between bat and ball in T20 cricket.

First, he suggested splitting the six‑over powerplay into batting and bowling halves. The batting side would retain a four‑over powerplay with two fielders outside the circle. The remaining two overs, however, would become a bowling powerplay, to be taken consecutively at the discretion of the fielding captain, with three boundary riders allowed.

“[In] the powerplay of six overs with field restrictions, only two fielders are allowed outside the ring. Let the first four overs be batters’ powerplay with the same field restrictions, and post that, the remaining two powerplay overs should be determined by the fielding captain as and when he wants to take. Those two consecutive overs will also get one fielder extra outside the ring at any stage of the game. So you [the fielding side] are able to control the game better,” he explained.

Second, Tendulkar proposed a bold adjustment: allow one bowler to deliver a maximum of five overs in a T20 innings. He argued that since the best batters can face nearly the entire 20 overs, why shouldn’t the best bowlers be given an extra over to showcase their skill and tilt the balance back toward the fielding side?

“One bowler should be allowed to bowl five overs," said Tendulkar. “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?” 

By extending the quota of a single bowler, Tendulkar argued, teams could lean on their strike weapon for longer, reducing the glaring gap between batting firepower and bowling limitations.