The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) reportedly considering introducing ‘Power Player’ concept in the upcoming Indian Premier League.
The rule being considered to make the league games more entertaining will empower the teams to substitute a player at the fall of a wicket or at the end of an over at any point in the game.
The concept has already reportedly been approved. It will now be discussed further in the IPL Governing Council meeting at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai tomorrow (Tuesday), a senior BCCI official has told IANs.
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“We are looking at a scenario where a team will not name the Playing XI. They will announce the 15 and a player can be substituted at either the fall of a wicket or at the end of the over at any point in the game. While we are looking to introduce it in the IPL, trying the concept first in the upcoming Mushtaq Ali Trophy could be the ideal way forward,” the official said.
The concept, the official says, has the capacity to change match situations and induce out-of-the-box thinking and strategizing from the two teams and engage even the fans further.
“Imagine you need 20 runs off the last six balls and you have Andre Russell sitting in the dug-out as he wasn’t a hundred percent and wasn’t part of the original XI. But now, he can just walk in and go slam-bang and win you the game,” explained the official.
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“Similarly, say you need to defend six runs off the last over and you have someone like a Jasprit Bumrah sitting in the dug-out. So, what does the captain do? Brings in Bumrah at the end of the 19th over and there you go. The concept has the potential to change the game,” the official said.
Apart from deliberating on this concept at the IPL GC on Tuesday, the members will also review the 2019 edition of the cash-rich league. The team will also discuss how to go about making the next edition of the league bigger and better when it comes to not just the game, but also fan engagement.
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