The Indian Premier League’s impact player rule has divided opinion since being introduced in 2023 but Delhi Capitals batter Faf du Plessis said its value was plain to see after his side came back from the dead to beat Lucknow Super Giants on Monday.
The rule allows a player to be substituted into the starting 11 at any time and teams have been using it to great effect, swapping out a bowler for a batter during a run chase and frequently bringing up 200-plus totals.
On Monday, Delhi looked to be heading for defeat in their season opener, struggling at 65-5 while chasing a modest 210.
However, in walked impact player Ashutosh Sharma to turn the game on its head, scoring an unbeaten 66 off 31 balls to take his team past the finish line with a wicket and three balls to spare.
While some players say the impact player rule is diminishing the role of the all-rounder, Du Plessis said it kept games interesting.
“A lot of the cricketers, if you ask them, would complain about the rule in the IPL,” the South African said.
“But this is obviously why that rule is there – for games when you think you’re completely dead and buried, someone comes in and plays like that.
“I’m definitely going to drink some more masala tea to make sure I can hit the ball like the boys do at the end.”
Du Plessis said Delhi’s task seemed almost impossible at one point and heaped praise on Vipraj Nigam (39) for helping Sharma turn things around.
“As an overseas player, one thing that’s remarkable to watch is the amount of Indian players that are so powerful and they’ve got the ability to just strike the ball so easily,” he added. “It wasn’t an easy pitch.
There was a lot going on, but the two boys at the back end they came in and effortlessly hit boundaries.“