Shardul Thakur Slams Impact Player Rule After LSG's Win Over SRH
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) pacer Shardul Thakur expressed his resentment regarding the Impact Player rule after his team convincingly won their five-wicket game against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium during the current IPL 2025 season.
Thakur, who was awarded Player of the Match for his blistering 4-wicket spell, was critical of the rule for being a factor in the increase in record-breaking totals witnessed this season. "I don't like the Impact Player rule. Teams scoring 250-plus on a regular basis is not the norm. It removes the balance from the game", he said at the post-match ceremony.
Since the adoption of the Impact Player rule, IPL games have seen record-high scoring rates. Specifically, SRH registered an enormous 286/6 versus Rajasthan Royals last season the second-highest team score in the tournament's history. The rule, by which teams get to replace a player during a match, has provided batting orders extra depth, frequently leaving bowlers with an extra workload.
In Thursday's game, Shardul Thakur was instrumental in keeping SRH to 190/9 by dismissing important batters Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan in the same over. Though the strong score, LSG chased it comfortably with a 116-run partnership between Nicholas Pooran (70 off 26) and Mitchell Marsh (52 off 31). A late burst by Abdul Samad wrapped up the victory with 23 balls remaining.
Thakur's remarks have sparked controversy once again regarding the justice of the Impact Player rule, with various players and experts divided about its impact on the classic equilibrium of bat versus ball in the game.
