Australian cricket conservative, Impact Player rule could be a game changer in T20s: Trent Woodhill

Say hello to the 1⃣st-ever Impact Player in the history of the IPL! 👋@TusharD_96 is 🔛 the field, replacing Ambati Rayudu

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Now with the IPL, where the Impact Player has a wider scope than the X Factor rule, it could be a game changer in T20s. I’m really excited to see how it pans out and see how coaches like Stephen Fleming go about it because he is the sort of one who likes this kind of stuff. Same with Andy Flower and if they end up liking it, the Impact Player could travel around the world in other leagues as well. Moreover, it empowers and puts more responsibility on coaches.

It is what Power Surge and X Factor did to coaches in the BBL. During the middle of the game, we could see coaches and captains discussing what sort of a player could alter the course of the game. As a coach, you are suddenly made to plan and think a lot during the game. You are not thinking in hindsight at the end of the game, but you get a chance to make corrections in case you got it wrong with the selection at the toss.

I feel all these rule changes that are coming into the shortest format mean the players in the middle can hog the limelight even if they are there for only a brief period. Plus, as I said, it also brings the coaches into the play a lot more. It will also put them under enormous pressure during the game because the decision they make at a crucial juncture is going to be scrutinised a lot like in football, basketball, and rugby. In every other sport, coaches are under enormous pressure, but in cricket, it is the captain. This will change that a bit. With Impact Player, hindsight won’t be your best friend anymore and the decision you make is vital as a coach.

There was another reason why the X Factor didn’t take off in the BBL. The feedback and the criticism we received about it was there was not enough talent depth to pick the sort of player who will be your X Factor. But in the IPL, there is no such issue because each team has not only enough squad depth but also players who can come off the bench and make a difference. Also, credit should be given to the IPL for widening the scope to use the Impact Player and giving the team the liberty to make full use of it by allowing them to name the XI after the toss. With four overseas players allowed in the XI, teams can even choose three to start with and bring the fourth one depending on the match situation. It is all about using your imagination and picking the right ones.

The one other rule I would like to see in T20 leagues across the world is the Power Surge. From the outside, it will look like a needless innovation, but in BBL there was a need for it. By January, pitches used to deteriorate and since the grounds are bigger than what you get in India, runs used to dip in the middle overs. The run-rate, in general, was a bit low between the 10th and 16th over and we wanted more action in that period and that is how Power Surge came about. Batting teams are anyway going to slog in the final four overs, so if they get two more overs with field restrictions, they would be tempted to take in those middle overs and take the momentum into the last four overs.

On slow pitches, if the ball gets soft it can get harder for batsmen. So when you have those two overs between 10-16th, it takes the pitch out of the equation as there are just two fielders outside the circle. Additionally, teams will have to mix up their bowling resources as well and need to bring their strike bowlers. And in a way, you are extending the slog overs as well. Plus, if you lose three wickets in the powerplay (6 overs), there is an 85 per cent chance of you losing the game. And if you take two overs away at the start, it gives the batting team a chance to make a comeback as well. In BBL we have seen teams going hard and ending up losing wickets which means, there is a balance between bat and ball.

Trent Woodhill is a high-performance consultant and introduced the X Factor and Power Surge rule to the Big Bash. He was also part of the group that came up with the concept of The Hundred, a tournament the ECB launched in 2021. Woodhill has also been a support staff of Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL. He spoke to Venkata Krishna B