'Rules are rules, but I am not a fan,' Axar Patel gives blunt verdict on impact player rule in IPL

In a press interaction, Axar Patel, the captain of Delhi Capitals expressed frustration of impact player rule, stating, "Teams now go with a specialist batter or bowler... it affects your place."

Axar Patel, the captain of the Delhi Capitals, during a press meet showcased his resentment on the impact player rule.

As the Delhi Capitals (DC) get ready for the IPL 2026 season, their captain Axar Patel has reignited the severest argument in modern Indian Premier League: the impact player rule. During a pre-season press interaction on March 23, 2026, Axar was blunt, joining a growing group of Indian cricketers who believe the rule is altering the DNA of the sport and not allowing the all-rounders of the game to perform better.

The core criticism: The "death" of the all-rounder

Axar’s primary resentment came out from his individuality as one of the world's premier all-rounders. Under the current impact player rule, teams essentially play with 12 players.

They can now swap a specialist batter for a specialist bowler (or vice versa) depending on the innings during a match.

"I don’t like this rule. Teams now go with a specialist batter or bowler... as an all-rounder, it affects your place. But rules are rules," Axar commented.

Earlier, an all-rounder was the "glue" that balanced a team, especially in T20 cricket. But now with the impact rule in place, a team can simply substitute in a seventh specialist batter, making natural all-rounders like Axar further down the order.

Read also: IPL 2026: 5 debutants to watch out for in the upcoming season.

With an extra specialist bowler available in the second innings, "part-time" or batting all-rounders like Shivam Dube or Abhishek Sharma rarely get the ball. This also hinders their development for the Indian national team in international cricket, where no such rule exists.

Read also: IPL deep-dive: Underrated XI of IPL history; Balaji, Marsh, Yusuf, Rayudu and who else?

What other legends say

Axar is not alone in criticising the impact player rule. The Impact Player rule has created an upright split between those who value entertainment and those who value cricketing balance.

Former India captain Rohit Sharma has been a vocal critic of this rule since 2024, famously stating, "cricket is played by 11 players, not 12. It is holding all-rounders back."

Even Virat Kohli echoed the thoughts of Rohit. Kohli noted that the rule "destroys the balance" and forces bowlers to play in a state of constant fear because batting lineups now effectively go down to No. 9 or No. 10.

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