The Impact Player rule has given IPL teams new dimensions. Now they can use a certain player for a short burst that helps them divert the course of the game. Take for example, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s last home game against Punjab Kings.
RCB were chasing the 176-run target set by PBKS and were always close to the required run-rate, till Virat Kohli was on the crease. But once Kohli got out on the last ball of 16th over, which was followed by two dot balls, RCB still needed 47 runs from 22 balls. That was the stage in the game where there was absolutely no room to play even a single dot-ball. That was the situation for that batsman who comes out and start hitting the ball right from the off. That’s what Mahipal Lomror did.
Will Mahipal Lomror Play In Today IPL Match?
Mahipal Lomror came and sent the first ball he faced from Sam Curran to the boundary rope. He took a single on the second ball, hit a massive six in 18th over, off Andre Russell’s ball. In the end, Lomror played a blinder of an innings, scoring the game-changing 17 runs in just 8 balls, helping RCB to clock the first win of IPL 2024 campaign.
Mahipal Lomror Is Likely To Miss Out Against KKR
RCB are now batting first against KKR, whereas Lomror is named as an Impact Player for this particular encounter. But the 25-year-old left-handed batsman is likely to remain as an unused substitute in this match, because that makes all the sense. Since RCB are bowling in the 2nd innings, they are expected to substitute a batsman for a bowler, with Karn Sharma likely to be used as an Impact Player here.
What Is Impact Player Rule in IPL?
The Indian Premier League (IPL) introduced the Impact Player rule in IPL 2023 season. This is not a new rule by any stretch of imagination and has been used in international cricket, but this is the first time that an Impact Player rule is being used in the Indian Premier League.
As per IPL Impact Player rule, in addition to Playing 11, each team is also allowed to name up to five substitute players in their matchday squad. Out of those five substitute player, one of them—referred to as the Impact Player—can replace a player in the playing XI.
