As the excitement builds for the Indian Premier League (IPL) set to start on March 28, Delhi Capitals’ captain Axar Patel has voiced his concerns regarding the controversial ‘Impact Player’ rule. He noted that this new regulation has shifted team strategies, moving away from selecting all-rounders to favoring specific batsmen or bowlers. “I’m not a fan of this rule, being an all-rounder myself (laughs). Previously, teams opted for all-rounders to fulfill these roles, but now the focus has changed to picking a designated batter or bowler. The argument is that we don’t need all-rounders anymore,” he explained. Patel acknowledged the necessity of adhering to the rules, despite his personal reservations. Last season, the Gujarat native bowled only 204 balls, a drop from 264 in the previous year. He attributed this reduction to a cut on his spinning finger, which made it difficult to bowl effectively. “I didn’t bowl much, but it wasn’t solely because of the Impact Player rule. After the Champions Trophy, I suffered a cut on my spinning finger, which worsened due to the ball’s seam. It became a deep cut, and I had trouble applying pressure and spin. I bowled only when necessary while nursing my injury, but after seven games, it healed, and I was able to bowl more frequently,” Patel shared. The Delhi Capitals are set to kick off their IPL 2026 campaign against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 1 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium B Ground in Lucknow.
