4 min readMar 26, 2026 09:47 PM IST Shubman Gill minced no words in criticising the Impact Player rule in the Indian Premier League that has been in place since the 2023 edition, saying he doesn’t like the concept as it takes ‘the skill out of the game’. According to the rule, teams can play an extra batter or bowler depending on the match situation and it has essentially made it a 12-vs-12 contest in the IPL. “Personally for me, I don’t think there should be an impact player. I think cricket in general is an 11-players’ game and on wickets where we play on the grounds that we play, adding an extra batsman, I think it takes the skill out of the game,” the Gujarat Titans skipper said ahead of the new season. “There’s a certain skill in the game that you need to have. When you have a certain amount of batters and if a couple of your batters get out, there’s an amount of skill that you need to have to still …