‘Josh Hazlewood returns but…’: RCB coach gives key fitness update before SRH clash
RCB coach Andy Flower views the IPL's Impact Player rule as a positive tactical innovation, enhancing strategic decisions despite concerns about diluting team selection challenges. He also confirmed Josh Hazlewood's arrival but unavailability for the opener, expressing confidence in other Indian pacers like Mangesh, Abhinandan, and Rasik to fill the void.
Andy Flower has offered a balanced view on the much-debated Impact Player rule, calling it a positive addition to the Indian Premier League even as opinions remain divided within the cricketing fraternity. Ahead of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2026 opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Flower described the rule as an “interesting innovation” that adds a new tactical layer to the game. While prominent names like Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma have criticised the rule for reducing the importance of all-round skills, Flower believes it enhances strategic decision-making.
“I think it has been a good innovation, it's interesting to be part of it. You’re making decisions on the impact player, and I think it's interesting for the audience to debate what's right and what's wrong, so tactically it's quite an interesting addition to the game,” Flower said. However, he also acknowledged that the rule comes with its own complications.
According to Flower, one of the traditional challenges of cricket — balancing a playing XI — becomes slightly diluted. “I must say that one of the things I love about cricket is that when you select an 11, one of the challenges you have is balancing your 11 — the length of the batting order, balancing, perhaps, some guys that can't field that well and it's one of the things that makes selection a little bit tricky. ” “The impact player rule hides that selection problem a little, so I think one of the great things about cricket is some of the debates around selection and when you select single-skilled players, you weaken another area of your game, the impact player can hide that, so there are pros and cons I think to it,” he added.
From an RCB standpoint, team combination has been further complicated by the absence of key pacers. Josh Hazlewood, who was the franchise’s leading wicket-taker last season, has only just rejoined the squad after arriving in Bengaluru. “Hazlewood did arrive yesterday, he's looking fit.