The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is all set to introduce a new rule 'Impact Player' in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, starting October 11. It is also likely to be implemented in the Indian Premier League 2023 (IPL 2023). According to the new rule, teams can change their playing XI during the match. This already happens in sports like football, rugby, and basketball. To make the teams and players get used to the new rule, the board will first try it in state cricket.
The BCCI has sent a circular to all the states, which states, "With the ever-growing popularity of T20 cricket, it is imperative that we look at introducing new dimensions which will make this format more attractive and interesting not only for our viewers but also the participating teams from a strategic viewpoint,"
This rule is also applicable in the Australian tournament Big Bash League (BBL) in the name of 'X Factor'. Under this 'X Factor' rule, 13 players will play instead of 15. This means every team can use the 12th or 13th player in the playing-11 before the 10th over of the first innings. During this, he can be replaced by players who do not bat or bowl more than one over.
All you need to know about the 'Impact Player' rule:
The injured player will not be able to take part in the match if the team uses an impact player instead. Otherwise, the impact player can be brought in only after the completion of one over. If a team uses an impact player and a player is injured, the old rule will apply. The batting team may bring in an impact player when a wicket has fallen or after the innings is over. The team will have to inform the fourth umpire in this regard. After testing in domestic cricket, this 'Impact Player' rule can also be implemented in next year's IPL 2023 season.
According to the rule, the team (captain) has to tell playing-11 at the time of toss. Along with the names of 4 other players will also have to be given as substitutes. Any one of these four players can be replaced by the player included in the playing-11 under the 'Impact Player' rule. The team will definitely have an advantage. If a bowler is included as an 'impact player', then he will only bowl his full 4 overs. The number of overs bowled or not bowled by the dismissed bowler will not affect that 'impact player'. During the match, both teams will be able to use the 'Impact Player' before the 14th over of the innings. That means, after this, the rule will not be used.
After the Champions Trophy 2025, India's target in ODI cricket will be the ODI World Cup 2027. In such a situation, know what is Team India's ODI schedule till the World Cup 2027. The Men in Blue have to play a total of 9 series in the next ICC ODI tournament, which includes 27 matches.
Apart from this, some more ODI matches can be scheduled near the tournament. So, know what is the ODI schedule of Indian Cricket Team till 2027 and when India will face which team.
The ODI World Cup2027 will be held around October to December. Before this, the Indian team is going to play a lot of matches. India have to play 3-match ODI series against 8 teams. They will play series twice against one country.
India will play New Zealand twice
India will play Australia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, West Indies and Sri Lanka once each in the upcoming ODI series, while it will play New Zealand twice. Out of the nine series, India will play six series at home, while the rest will be held outside the country.
It will start with the tour of Bangladesh in August, which will be played this year. In October-November 2025, India has to play a three-match ODI series on its tour of Australia. South Africa's team will tour India in November-December.
India will host Sri Lankan team in December 2026
In January 2026, the New Zealand team will play an ODI series in India. After this, India has to play a three-match series against Afghanistan in June. In July 2026, Team India will have to play the same number of ODI series on its tour of England.
The West Indies team is scheduled to tour India in September-October. There will be an ODI series against New Zealand at home in October-November. India will host the Sri Lankan team for an ODI series in December 2026.
Foreign players asked to return to their country as IPL 2025 postponed for a week due to India-Pakistan tension
If the IPL 2025 resumes at the end of May, most of the foreign players will be able to return. The teams believe so. If these matches are played after May 25, it will be difficult for the players to return.
Due to the increasing conflict between India and Pakistan, BCCI has postponed the IPL 2025 for a week. BCCI gave this information on Friday. The board said that it has taken this decision keeping in mind the concerns of the players and the sentiments of the fans. The new schedule of IPL will be released depending on the situation.
At the same time, according to media reports, all foreign players have been asked to return to their country. Meanwhile, Cricket Australia and South Africa Cricket Board have expressed concern over their players. There are still 12 league matches and 4 playoff matches left in IPL 2025. The final of the tournament was to be held on 25 May.
It is believed that India's tour of Bangladesh in August will be cancelled. The Asia Cup to be held in September will also be postponed. The remaining matches of IPL can be held in India in their place.
It is difficult for BCCI to bring back foreign players
The biggest challenge for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in resuming the IPL in May is to bring back foreign players. As soon as the IPL was announced to be postponed for a week, most of the foreign players returned to their respective countries. The remaining players will leave India by Saturday.
It will be interesting to see how BCCI brings back the foreign players and restarts the tournament. Because without them, it will be difficult to organize matches.
Players will start playing for the country
If the IPL resumes at the end of May, most of the foreign players will be able to return. The teams believe so. If these matches are played after May 25, it will be difficult for the players to return. The biggest reason for this is that many players will be playing for their national team then.
The final of the World Test Championship (WTC) is also scheduled to be held between the Australia and the South Africa at Lord's from June 11.
Starting the tournament is not easy
BCCI has kept all three grounds ready. Despite this, officials believe that it will not be easy to restart this competition now. All the teams were informed about this on Friday without any formal announcement. People from many teams are saying that all the remaining matches can be held at the end of the year.
Punjab-Delhi match had to be canceled midway
On the night of 8 May at around 8.30 pm, Pakistan attacked the borders of Jammu, Punjab and Rajasthan of India with missiles and drones. During this time, a match was being played between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh. It had to be stopped midway.
Gujarat on top, 3 teams out of the playoffs race
By the time IPL 2025 was halted midway, 57 matches of the league stage had been completed. The 58th match was halted midway. After 57 matches, Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bangalore had the highest points in the points table with 16-16 points.
GT remained on top due to better run rate. Punjab was third, Mumbai fourth and Delhi fifth. Whereas Chennai, Rajasthan and Hyderabad teams were out of the playoff race.
When the tournament was stopped, 4 teams had 2-2 matches left. Whereas 6 teams including Gujarat and Bangalore had not played 3-3 matches. A match was to be played between Lucknow and Bangalore in Lucknow on Friday, but the tournament was stopped before that.
Yashasvi Jaiswal's breathtaking 13-ball half century stands strong at the top of the table. Get ready to be thrilled as we dive into the top 10 fastest fifties in IPL history.
Some IPL innings leave you speechless. The talented players in this tournament have taken the stage to another level with their explosive batting over the years.
Check out the entire article to know some names that will definitely shock you.
10. Suresh Raina (2014) | 16 balls
Suresh Raina during his half-century knock off 16 balls against Punjab. Image | ESPNcricinfo
Suresh Raina is one of the players to score the fastest half-century in the early seasons of IPL. He took only 16 balls to reach his fifty, making it look super easy for the fans.
Raina was the opening batter for CSK and scored this in a match against PBKS in IPL 2024. The endless boundaries that came off his bat in this inning is hard to forget!
Jake Fraser-McGurk celebrating his 15-balls half century against SRH in IPL 2024. Image | NDTV
Jake Fraser-McGurk, who played for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024, stunned the spectators with his back-to-back fastest fifties in 2 matches. He scored both the fifties off 15 balls which is quite astonishing as it was his debut season.
McGurk’s consecutive fifties secured both the 9th and 8th position in top 10 fastest fifties in IPL history.
He proved to be highly impactful for DC and these half centuries against MI and SRH made him more impressive. Moreover, he smashed 330 runs in 9 matches with a strike rate above 200.
Nicholas Pooran's iconic celebration after his fastest half century against RCB in IPL 2023. Image | BBC
The West Indies power-hitter, Nicholas Pooran, put up a shower of boundaries during his fastest fifty of IPL career from just 15 balls. He scored 62 runs (off 19 balls) in his knock, hitting 7 sixes and 4 fours.
Pooran had a strike rate of 326.32 which says a lot about the kind of mindset and form he was in during the match of LSG vs RCB.
6. Sunil Narine (2017) | 15 balls
Sunil Narine celebrates his fastest fifty against RCB in IPL 2017. Image | Hindustan Times
This superstar from the West Indies has never failed to amaze us, be it with the ball or bat. Sunil Narine showcased his exceptional batting skills with this 15-ball half century in IPL 2017.
Narine has played several crucial knocks for KKR in the history of IPL, but with this one, he proved how he is equally capable with the bat and can do wonders.
5. Yusuf Pathan (2014) | 15 balls
Yusuf Pathan after his fastest fifty off 15 balls against SRH. Image | Ani News
Yusuf Pathan scored a sensational fifty against SRH off 15 balls in IPL 2014. He single-handedly took the game home for KKR with his 72 runs off just 22 balls in this inning, with a strike rate above 300.
It shows that KKR indeed had some fearless power-hitters in their team throughout IPL history.
Romario Shepherd hitting the ball hard for a six during the match of RCB vs CSK in IPL 2025. Image | OneCricket
Romario Shepherd became the only batter in IPL 2025 to score a fifty so fast that could make its way to the top 10 fastest fifties in IPL. He helped RCB reach a 200+ total during the first inning against CSK, which was enough to be a defendable total.
Shepherd hit 6 sixes and 4 fours to score 53* off 14 balls. He was also given player of the match award for his spectacular knock.
3. Pat Cummins (2022) | 14 balls
Pat Cummins celebrating his fastest 50 off 14 balls for KKR in IPL 2022. Image | Pinterest
Here comes a surprising half-century from the Australian all-rounder, Pat Cummins, who scored 50 off 14 balls for KKR in IPL 2022. He helped to seal the victory for his team against MI by 5 wickets (24 balls left).
Cummins unveiled his boundary-hitting capabilities with 4 fours and 6 sixes, leaving the fans shocked. It is considered to be one of the finest knocks in IPL where he truly showcased his batting skills when needed.
2. KL Rahul (2018) | 14 balls
KL Rahul celebrates his heroic fifty in just 14 balls against DC. Image | Instagram
KL Rahul, who is now known for his calm and composed batting style, holds the second position in the list of top 10 fastest fifties in IPL history. Quite shocking, isn't it?
This was back in IPL 2018 when Rahul showed no mercy to the bowlers of Delhi Capitals with his magnificent fifty off just 14 balls.
He was the opening batter of PBKS, who kept the fans on the edge of their seats from the beginning of the inning.
Yashasvi Jaiswal during his record-breaking fastest fifty in the history of IPL. Image | Pinterest
An all-time shocker of an innings from Yashasvi Jaiswal, which remains unmatched till date! He scored fifty off 13 balls, making it the fastest half-century in IPL history.
Jaiswal scored a total of 98 runs (from 47 balls) in this match against KKR and led Rajasthan Royals to victory. He hit the ball out of the boundary line in every direction possible, and was barely seen running between the wickets.
This performance goes down the history of unbelievable knocks in IPL.
With the IPL 2025 playoffs just around the corner, the tension is reaching its peak. Over the years, the Indian Premier League has given fans plenty of memorable moments full of surprises at the fag end of the group stage. Generally, the fans have to wait till the last over of the group stage to know who will qualify for the IPL Playoffs.
Sometimes, it even goes to the final ball as well, to decide the fourth team to qualify.
From teams that regularly reach the playoffs to underdogs who’ve shocked everyone, the path to the final four has always been full of drama.
Beyond being the champions, which teams have consistently made their way to the finals? It is time to reflect on the heroic battle and consistency in reaching the IPL final.
Check out the ones who hold the potential to beat CSK’s dominance in this field and become the team with the most appearances in IPL history.
CSK's unmatched dominance | 10 finals
CSK lifts the IPL trophy for the fifth time after defeating GT in IPL 2023 final. Image | NDTV
Chennai Super Kings hold a remarkable record of reaching the IPL final the most number of times, with a win percentage of 50%. CSK started this journey in 2008 when they got into the final for the first time against RR.
CSK has won 5 out of 10 times in their IPL final appearances. Their quality team performance and ability to play good cricket with consistency have made them one of the most successful franchises in IPL.
They are also the only team to reach the IPL final 4 times in a row.
Mumbai Indians celebrating their 5th IPL win in 2019 against CSK. Image | Facebook
Mumbai Indians stand second with 6 final appearances in IPL and have won 5 out of them. They equalise the IPL title count as CSK but fall short in the number to be the team with the most final appearances in IPL history.
MI's 6 IPL Finals:
vs CSK (2010)- lost by 22 runs
vs CSK (2013)- won by 23 runs
vs CSK (2015)- won by 41 runs
vs RPS (2017)- won by 1 run
vs CSK (2019)- won by 1 run
vs DC (2020)- won by 5 wickets
KKR and SRH are climbing the stairs | 4 finals
SRH and KKR celebrating the wins in their respective IPL seasons. Image | Pinterest
Following closely are Kolkata Knight Riders, who have reached the IPL final 4 times, and won thrice out of them.
Hyderabad, as a team, has also reached the finals 4 times, just with different franchises. They reached the finals in 2009 for the first time as Deccan Chargers, and later made their way thrice under the name of Sunrisers Hyderabad and won in 2016.
Follow Us/sportzpoint/media/post_attachments/e0332b083516303302ab05067ce922e88c03f9a97f08726f5ec6316404cc9992.jpg)
/sportzpoint/media/post_attachments/d3802650189923214bd60e1205b55fc9fca6b1fb1792d1785439dfe0ebde0998.jpg)
