Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has pointed fingers at the Impact Player rule in the Indian Premier League (IPL), claiming it has significantly slowed the development of Indian all-rounders, particularly their bowling skills. India’s recent white-ball tour of Australia highlighted the issue, with the team clearly missing the services of Hardik Pandya, their premier all-rounder, who is currently sidelined with an injury. In his absence, Shivam Dube and Nitish Kumar Reddy were included in the squad, but the latter was ruled out of the first three T20Is due to a quadriceps injury.
Without Pandya, India struggled to find balance, suffering a 2-1 ODI series defeat and showing a lack of depth in both batting and bowling departments.
Watson on Pandya’s Value
Watson, who represented several IPL franchises and has closely followed India’s cricketing ecosystem, described Pandya as one of the country’s most “valuable” assets.
“There’s no question that Hardik Pandya is one of the most valuable commodities that India has got with his all-round abilities. When he comes in, it really does round out and make the Indian team more balanced and stronger,” Watson said on Wednesday.
All-Rounders Struggling for Bowling Time
To compensate for Pandya’s absence, Shivam Dube was handed the ball in the third T20I but failed to make an impact, conceding 43 runs in three overs and taking just one wicket. Nitish Kumar Reddy, who bowled a few overs in the ODIs, also struggled, giving away 40 runs in 5.1 overs across two matches.
According to Watson, such struggles stem from the structure of the Impact Player rule, which allows IPL teams to substitute one player from their starting XI with a substitute from the bench, enabling sides to stack up on either batting or bowling resources depending on the match situation.
“The one thing that I’ve been very strong about in the IPL has been the Impact Player rule, which has meant that someone like Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shivam Dube have hardly had to bowl, if not bowled at all,” Watson explained. “They haven’t had the IPL platform to continue developing their bowling skills under pressure. When the Impact Player rule came in, that was always going to be something that set back all-rounders’ development.”
Reduced Opportunities, Slower Growth
Watson believes the rule has tilted the balance heavily toward specialist batters and bowlers, leaving little room for genuine all-rounders to hone their dual skills. The reduced bowling opportunities, especially in high-pressure T20 scenarios, have slowed the growth of emerging players.
“It’s just going to take them more time to develop their bowling skills under pressure because their batting continues to improve with regular opportunities in the IPL,” he added. “But their bowling, especially the defensive skills that Hardik Pandya has developed over his career, requires consistent exposure, which they’re currently missing out on.”
