"Not big fan of Impact Player rule, but ready to embrace change": LSG fielding coach Jonty Rhodes

New Delhi [India], August 31 : Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) fielding coach Jonty Rhodes gave his take on the ongoing deliberations around the continuation of the Impact Player rule in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
In IPL 2024, the Impact Player rule was a hot topic of discussion among the fan base and cricketers regarding its implementation and consequences.
Since the rule made its way into the cash-rich league in 2023, franchises have enjoyed a lengthy batting unit, which has led to the inception of some record-breaking run fests.
There has been a divide among cricketers and fans base regarding the continuation of the rule since the conclusion of IPL 2024.
India skipper Rohit Sharma, for example, previously stated that the restriction has hampered the development of all-rounders in the country.
While seasoned off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has batted for the rule as he believes it adds a bit more value for "strategy".
But Jonty said, he is "not a big fan" of the rule as the all-rounders get undermined, but he is still open to embracing new changes.
"From my perspective as a coach. I also want to see all-rounders being developed because it's only in this particular brand of cricket that you've got the impact rule, and all-rounders are so important to the strength of cricket. I think because if you haven't got somebody who can bowl the overs or bat at the top six or seven, then the team will be out of balance of sorts," Jonty told ANI.
"So I'm not a big fan of the Impact rule, but I am somebody who's always ready to embrace change, and it's been around now for two seasons, and you've seen sides that have taken it on really, really well. I think a lot of us for the first year didn't quite get it right, and you know, but what happened was a lot of teams put their squads together with the All-rounder before the Impact rule came into place, so maybe it disrupted the balance of the team slightly. So, like I said, I'm happy for change. I'm not closed to anything, but I'm someone who wants to see all-rounders not dominate but certainly get the credit that they have in the side," he added.
Another aspect of the IPL that has been heavily pondered upon is the introduction of the Right to Match (RTM) in the mega auction.
RTM is a rule through which teams can automatically get the player who represented them in the previous season if they match the highest bid placed by a franchise. The RTM rule was first introduced in 2014 and has not been used in IPL auctions since 2018.
As clouds of uncertainty revolving around the introduction of the rule, Jonty is looking to use any situation to their advantage.
"You know, like I said. I mean, I'm not somebody who's sat in my ways as a cricket player. I had to adapt and evolve. Whatever is decided, I mean, I don't make those decisions, so we will make sure that it works, hopefully in our situation. So I don't have an opinion on yes or no with regards to the right to match," Jonty noted.