MasterstrokeMatch play and rules
Impact player
A tactical substitute in some T20 leagues: one named player can replace a member of the XI mid-match, turning a side into twelve specialists.
An impact player is a substitute who can replace a member of the playing XI during a T20 match, taking a full part in the game from that point on.
The rule was introduced by the IPL in 2023. Each side names its XI plus a list of substitutes at the toss, and may bring one of them on at any point before the end of the 14th over of either innings, most often at the innings break. The replaced player takes no further part. Limits on overseas players still apply to the combined XI. Other leagues have adopted versions of the idea; international cricket has not.
The effect is to let a side field twelve specialists rather than eleven. A team can bat with seven batters and then swap one out for a bowler, or open with an extra seamer and replace him with a hitter for the chase. It reduces the value of the all-rounder, who was previously the only way to get both jobs into one XI, and it changes how a batting order is built.
In Masterstroke: T20 matches include impact substitutes, so the team sheet you name at the toss is not the one you have to finish with.