Impact Player rule vs five-over limit: Tendulkar pushes structural change

Sachin Tendulkar's calling for three rule changes to tip IPL contests back toward bowlers: scrap the impact player rule entirely, split the powerplay into a batters phase followed by a bowlers phase, and let one bowler bowl five overs in an innings.

He also singled out Bhuvneshwar Kumar's wobbly seam variation — the Royal Challengers Bengaluru seamer has 26 wickets in IPL 2026 and is in contention for the Purple Cap. Kumar's deliveries move both ways, something Tendulkar emphasized across multiple reports.

These aren't just tweaks to how players perform. They'd reshape how teams build their squads and allocate resources across 20 overs. Format balance, not individual technique, is what Tendulkar's arguing for.