Mohammed Siraj spoke in detail about the Impact Player rule, stating that it has tilted the game heavily in the favour of the batter.
For the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, it has been a forgettable first half of the 2024 Indian Premier League. The side has won only one of its first seven matches, with his bowling department coming under significant scanner for sits underperformance throughout the season. RCB conceded the highest total of all time in the league during their match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (288/3), and have a net run rate of -1.185, the worst of all sides.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s player Mohammed Siraj during a training session (PTI)
One of the side’s leading pacers, Mohammed Siraj, was rested following disappointing outings in the opening few matches. Siraj had been on the road since January, when he took part in the five-Test series against England. The Indian pacer returned to action on Sunday during the side’s game against the Kolkata Knight Riders; as he talked about preparing for a return to the game, Siraj also spoke about the Impact Player rule in the league.
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While not a part of international cricket yet, Impact Player rule came under significant scanner in the IPL this year. It has surely helped the team better their team combinations, but Indian captain Rohit Sharma stated earlier this week that the rule is weakening the role of all-rounders in cricket. Siraj, too, has now joined his Indian captain in criticising the rule.
“Please remove this impact sub thing (laughs), the wickets are already flat and there’s nothing for the bowlers in it, previously, it used to be slow at times, but the batters now come out swinging at absolutely everything,” Siraj said.
Rohit had said that that the impact player rule is holding the all-rounders back.
“I am not a big fan of Impact sub rule. It is going to hold all rounders back, eventually cricket is played by 11 players not 12 players. You are taking out so much from game to make it entertaining for people around. If you look just from the cricketing aspect of it I feel guys like Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar aren’t getting to bowl, which for us is not a good thing,” Rohit had said on ‘Club Prairie Fire’ podcast.
RCB desperate for return to winning ways
With only one win in seven matches, RCB will be aiming to break the five-match losing streak when they face the Knight Riders. The returning Siraj, who will appear in his first match since the game against MI on April 11, stated that he took the time off the field to close out the negative thoughts.
“It’s important to be comfortable, if you think too much, it’ll lead to negativity and frustrations, so I always try to be as positive as possible, try to close all negative connotations around me.
“My game plan is to be consistent, if a good ball gets hit, so be it. It was a long time that teams made 250+, but it has become such a common feature now (thanks to impact sub and the flat pitches). It’s been a long time since I’ve played a day game, I last played a day game during the Test series against England, but we’re professionals and we have no excuses,” said Siraj.
