- Sanjay Manjrekar questions Impact Player rule’s impact on young players.
- Rule limits players like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to specific roles.
- Manjrekar argues cricket should test players across multiple skills.
- He urges BCCI to reconsider rule for long-term player development.
IPL 2026 Impact Player Rule: Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has expressed concern over the development of teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi during IPL 2026, questioning whether the Impact Player rule is helping young cricketers grow into complete players.
The 15-year-old Rajasthan Royals star has been one of the biggest talking points of the season. With 583 runs in 14 matches, Sooryavanshi has emerged as one of the top performers of IPL 2026 and played a major role in Rajasthan Royals reaching the playoffs.
However, despite his extraordinary success with the bat, Manjrekar believes the youngster’s all-round development could suffer because he is rarely seen on the field due to the Impact Player rule.
Manjrekar Questions Impact Player Rule
Speaking on Sportstar’s Inside Wdge Podcast, Manjrekar said modern cricket should test players across multiple aspects instead of limiting them to one role.
He pointed to Rohit Sharma as an example, highlighting how senior players often spend limited time in the game because of the tactical advantages offered by the Impact Player system.
“I was just thinking about this when I saw Rohit Sharma in the last game. He scored 22 runs off 15 balls. His entire contribution lasted 15 deliveries, yet he’ll still receive the full match fee or whatever comes with it. I’m not someone who likes focusing too much on money, but when there’s easy money to be made for very little effort, you have to start questioning that model. That can never be a sustainable, long-term formula for success,” said Manjrekar.
The former India batter added that cricket fans are now seeing only one side of Sooryavanshi’s game, which could become a long-term issue for his growth.
“The more I think about it, the more I feel we need to do away with the Impact Player rule for this very reason. Is that really what we want to see about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi? To only see one side of his game? A cricketer should be someone who contributes across disciplines. Earlier, we admired players like Inzamam-ul-Haq not just for their batting, but because we also saw the other side of them in the field. That helped you properly assess and understand the player,” he added.
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BCCI Urged To Reconsider IPL Rule
Manjrekar also urged the BCCI to rethink the Impact Player rule, warning that it may negatively affect the development of future Indian stars.
Although he acknowledged that India have continued to succeed in T20 cricket despite the rule, he maintained that the format should still evaluate players more completely.
“India won the last two T20 World Cups despite the Impact Player rule. Yes, someone like Shivam Dube can contribute without bowling and still help the team succeed. Those things are happening. But for me, a cricketer shouldn’t just walk in, play a quick cameo, and then sit back and relax,” he said.
“I want the game to test players more thoroughly. If someone is a good bowler, I don’t just want to see him bowl four overs. I want to see how he fields as well. The game should examine every aspect of a player, not just one skill in isolation,” he added.
Sooryavanshi’s explosive performances have made him one of the brightest young stars in Indian cricket, but Manjrekar’s remarks have now sparked a wider debate around whether the Impact Player rule is helping or hurting long-term player development.
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