Dinesh Karthik, batting coach and mentor of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), has come out in favour of retaining the Impact Player rule for IPL 2027, arguing that scrapping the provision mid-cycle would be unfair to franchises that built their squads around it. Speaking to Cricbuzz, Karthik acknowledged the rule's shortcomings but drew a firm line at removing it before the current three-year cycle concludes.

Karthik's Core Argument

The former India wicketkeeper-batter said teams had assembled their rosters with a 12-player strategy baked in, and dismantling that framework mid-season would create a structural imbalance. 'When you pick a team, you're picking a team based on 12 players that you're going to play. Now suddenly if you make it 11, there could be a team which is obviously not as strong as a 12 but much better as an 11, and it is an unfair advantage,' Karthik explained.

He added that any rule — whether introduced or scrapped — should align with the start or end of an IPL cycle, not interrupt one. 'As a rule, whatever new rule you want to bring in, you need to bring it in at the start of a cycle and do away with it at the end of a cycle if you don't want to (continue),' he said. The current IPL cycle runs through 2027, following the mega auction held in 2025.

Praise That Turned Into Concern

Karthik reflected on how the Impact Player rule, introduced ahead of IPL 2023, initially delivered on its promise of high-scoring, closely contested matches. 'When it first came on, it was very good because there were high-scoring games and there were a lot of teams that were almost chasing it down,' he said.

However, he noted a visible decline in its effectiveness during the most recent season. 'This last season, there were not too many close games. It just felt like one team scored a lot, and another team ended up chasing it down,' Karthik observed. He conceded that the rule is 'losing the relevance and importance that it probably provided for the fans and for the players as well.'

The All-Rounder Problem

Perhaps the most pointed critique in Karthik's assessment was the rule's effect on India's cricketing talent pipeline. He argued that by allowing teams to field a specialist in place of a versatile player, the rule has reduced the incentive to develop genuine all-rounders. 'It definitely decreased the chances of India as a cricketing country producing all-rounders,' he said.

This is a concern that several coaches and selectors have raised over the past two seasons, as the Indian middle order has increasingly relied on specialist batters shielded by the substitution provision — a dynamic that critics argue does not translate to the demands of international cricket, where no such safety net exists.

What Happens After 2027

Karthik stopped short of calling for an outright abolition, but his remarks signal that he sees the rule's lifespan as limited. He suggested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and franchise owners revisit the provision once the current cycle closes after the 2027 season. The original rule itself was introduced mid-cycle ahead of IPL 2023 — a point Karthik used to underscore the inconsistency of applying or withdrawing rules outside a fresh cycle. With the debate growing louder, the BCCI is widely expected to address the Impact Player question during its review of IPL regulations ahead of the next mega auction window.