---
type: story
title: "The Rule That Only IPL Dared Try (And Why Nobody Else Followed)"
description: >
  The Impact Player Rule has been in IPL since 2023. MLC, BBL, The Hundred,
  CPL, and SA20 have not adopted it. Four seasons of IPL data shows what
  it does to scores, bowlers, and lineup construction. The question is whether
  other leagues are being cautious — or protecting their bowlers.
tags:
  - IPL
  - MLC
  - rules
  - methodology
  - evolution
  - T20
status: active
last_verified: 2026-06-28
timestamp: 2026-06-28
license: CC-BY-4.0
source_system: CricketStudio
source_boundary: derived_claims_only
canonical_page: https://okf.cricketstudio.ai/stories/impact-player-rule-alone/
resource: https://okf.cricketstudio.ai/stories/impact-player-rule-alone/
entity_id: cricketstudio:story:impact-player-rule-alone
dataset_version: 2026-06-11
provenance:
  source: >
    IPL Impact Player Rule: BCCI IPL Playing Conditions (2023 onwards).
    IPL post-rule scoring data: CricketStudio IPL 2026 dataset, version 2026-06-11.
    IPL pre-rule baseline: Cricsheet CC BY 3.0 (2008–2022 seasons).
    MLC data: Cricsheet CC BY 3.0 (Seasons 1–3, 75 matches).
    MLC rules confirmation: MLC official playing conditions (standard 11, no Impact Player rule).
    Other league rules (BBL, The Hundred, CPL, SA20): public playing conditions — standard substitution only.
  confidence: high
  notes: >
    No official statements from other leagues on why they did not adopt the rule
    are cited here — this story does not put words in administrators' mouths.
    Structural inferences (protecting bowlers, conservatism) are framed as
    questions, not assertions.
related:
  - ../dossier/what-is-impact-player-rule-ipl.md
  - ../stories/impact-player-lineup-revolution.md
  - ../stories/mlc-vs-ipl-what-numbers-show.md
  - ../stories/impact-player-captains-dilemma.md
  - ../scorebook/leagues/major-league-cricket.md
---

# The Rule That Only IPL Dared Try (And Why Nobody Else Followed)

## The Question Nobody Asked

Four seasons have passed since IPL introduced the Impact Player Rule. The rule changed scores, lineup construction, and the value of the all-rounder. Every other major T20 league watched it happen. None of them did the same thing. Why?

## What the Data Says

**What the Impact Player Rule produced in IPL:**

| Era | Seasons | 200+ innings % | Avg first innings | Sixes / match |
|-----|---------|---------------|------------------|--------------|
| Pre-rule (2008–2022) | 15 seasons | 6.99% | ~145 | 10.5 |
| Post-rule (2023–2026) | 4 seasons | 29.68% | ~172 | 17.72 |

*(Source: Cricsheet CC BY 3.0 historical data + CricketStudio IPL dataset, version 2026-06-11)*

That is a 4× increase in 200-plus innings and an 18% increase in first-innings scoring average. This is not gradual evolution — it is a structural break in a 16-year-old competition.

**What other leagues are using instead:**

| League | Substitution rule | Impact Player equivalent |
|--------|-------------------|--------------------------|
| IPL (India) | Impact Player (1 specialist sub per innings) | Yes — since 2023 |
| MLC (USA) | Standard 11, injury substitution only | No |
| BBL (Australia) | X-Factor substitution (after 10 overs, unused player only) | Partial — but not a full specialist |
| The Hundred (England) | Standard 11 | No |
| CPL (Caribbean) | Standard 11 | No |
| SA20 (South Africa) | Standard 11 | No |

**What MLC looks like without the rule:**

MLC's 75 matches (Seasons 1–3, Cricsheet CC BY 3.0) used standard 11-player lineups throughout.

MLC powerplay batting leaders without Impact Player advantage:
- MJ Owen (Washington Freedom): 194.3 SR from 123 powerplay balls
- FH Allen (San Francisco Unicorns): 188.0 SR from 225 balls
- R Ravindra (Washington Freedom): 187.6 SR from 129 balls

MLC death bowling leaders without Impact Player sub pressure:
- CJ Gannon (Seattle Orcas): 7.18 RPO from 71 balls
- PJ Cummins (SF Unicorns): 7.38 RPO from 48 balls
- LH Ferguson (LA Kings/Washington Freedom): 7.54 RPO from 74 balls

*(Source: Cricsheet CC BY 3.0, MLC Seasons 1–3)*

MLC produced genuine elite numbers — world-class powerplay strike rates and death bowling economies that rival IPL's best — all under standard lineup rules, with no specialist substitution advantage.

**BBL's partial equivalent — the X-Factor:**

BBL introduced a different rule: an unused substitute (the X-Factor player) can replace one of two nominated players after 10 overs of the first innings. The restriction is significant — only a player who has not yet batted or bowled can be replaced. This limits its tactical use compared to IPL's unrestricted Impact Player, and it does not apply to the fielding team's substitution after the 14th over.

## The Wow

IPL looked at its 16-year history, decided the lineup construction problem (needing five bowlers meant weak batting at 8 and 9) was worth solving with a rule change, and introduced a solution no other league had tried.

The result was transformative: 200-plus innings became nearly 30% of all innings, averaging first-innings totals jumped 18%, and the role of the specialist all-rounder was fundamentally redefined.

Every other major league watched this happen — and chose the standard 11.

The most plausible reading is not that other leagues missed the idea. It is that they saw what happened to bowlers and decided the balance wasn't right for their competition.

MLC's elite death economies (Gannon 7.18, Cummins 7.38) and powerplay strike rates (Owen 194.3) were achieved without specialist batting substitutes inflating scoring averages. Those numbers exist in a different structural environment — one that protects the integrity of a bowler's full over allocation.

The question the data raises: is IPL's 172-run average a better product, or just a higher-scoring one?

## What It Doesn't Say

This story does not have access to official statements, board minutes, or governance documents from MLC, BBL, The Hundred, CPL, or SA20 on why they chose not to adopt the Impact Player Rule. The framing of "protecting bowlers" is structural inference, not quoted policy.

BBL's X-Factor rule is a legitimate partial equivalent and should not be dismissed — it addresses the same underlying problem (weak lower-order batting) with different constraints.

The IPL's scoring increase post-rule has multiple contributing factors beyond the Impact Player Rule alone: pitch preparation, bat technology, player pool development. The correlation is clear; isolating the rule's specific contribution requires controlled analysis.

MLC and IPL operate in different contexts (75 vs 74+ matches per season, different opposition depths, different pitch environments). Direct comparison of averages requires that context.

## Related Concepts

- [What Is the Impact Player Rule](../dossier/what-is-impact-player-rule-ipl.md)
- [The Rule That Quietly Rewrote the IPL Lineup](../stories/impact-player-lineup-revolution.md)
- [MLC vs IPL: What the Numbers Show](../stories/mlc-vs-ipl-what-numbers-show.md)
- [The Captain's Impact Player Dilemma](../stories/impact-player-captains-dilemma.md)
- [Major League Cricket](../scorebook/leagues/major-league-cricket.md)
