Shubman Gill Slams IPL’s Impact Player Rule, Calls It ‘One-Dimensional’

Shubman Gill criticizes the IPL Impact Player rule as “one-dimensional,” stressing that it reduces skill and shifts focus away from balanced team cricket.

Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill has joined the growing debate around the Impact Player rule in the IPL, openly criticizing its effect on the balance of the game.

Days after Axar Patel voiced his concerns, Gill also expressed his disapproval of the rule, suggesting that it diminishes the essence of traditional team dynamics in cricket.

“Personally for me, I don’t think there should be Impact player,” Gill said in a press conference on Thursday.

The rule, introduced in IPL 2023 after trials in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, allows teams to bring in a substitute player during a match. While it was scrapped in domestic cricket from 2024, the Board of Control for Cricket in India retained it in the IPL despite ongoing criticism.

‘Takes the Skill Out of the Game,’ Says GT Captain

Gill emphasized that adding an extra batter tilts the contest unfairly and reduces the challenge for teams, especially bowlers.

“Cricket in general is a 11-player game… adding an extra batsman, I think it takes the skill out of the game. With that one extra player, it is making the game more one dimensional. Chasing 180 or 160 on a challenging wicket is for me more exciting than chasing 220 on a flat track.”

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The rule has significantly strengthened batting line-ups, leading to inflated scores and increasing expectations of teams breaching the 300-run mark—something yet to be achieved but widely anticipated in recent seasons.

Gill Focused on Wins Over Records

Despite the growing trend of high-scoring matches, Gill made it clear that his focus remains on consistent team performances rather than chasing record-breaking totals.

“At the end of the day, you have to score more runs than the other team. Whether it’s by four runs or 150-200 runs, the goal is to win. We are not chasing the glory of scoring 300-350 in a single match. We want to be a team that consistently scores big runs and achieves the par target for that wicket,” Gill said.

“We want to win matches in different conditions. We don’t want to be a team that performs only on good wickets,” he added.

Gill also brushed aside any personal pressure, highlighting his consistent performances over the years.

“I think if you look at the past three or four seasons, I think I have the most runs in the IPL. So I don’t think I have anything to prove in this season particularly,” Gill said. “And the four years that I have played for this team, I think we have done decently well as a team. And I think I have done decently well as a batsman.

“So I don’t think I need to prove to anyone my worth. I think I need to do what I have been doing for the past four years. And as a team, we need to be consistent, which I think we have been. And if we continue doing that sooner or later, I think we will win that trophy once more.”

The 2022 champions, Gujarat Titans, will kick off their IPL 2026 campaign against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur on March 31.