In a dramatic turn of events during the match between Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals on March 28, tensions escalated as DC’s head coach Ricky Ponting and director of cricket Saurav Ganguly found themselves in a dispute with a reserved official- the fourth umpire. With emotions running high and stakes soaring, both Ponting and Ganguly complained about how RR used the impact player rule. They contended that their opponents used five overseas players instead of the permitted four.
Here’s what happened
During the match, the Rajasthan Royals used only three overseas players in their playing 11: Jos Buttler, Trent Boult and Shimron Hetmyer. However, Nandre Burger was brought in as the impact player, causing Hetmyer to leave the field. Subsequently, Rajasthan Royals substituted Shubham Dubey with Rovman Powell. All of this didn’t go well with Ponting and he felt disappointed over the situation. Ponting took no time and highlighted how the opponents managed to field four overseas players when they only started with three.
What does the rule say?
Upon closer examination of the rules, it becomes evident that overseas playing conditions have specific stipulations. Rule 1.2.5 mentions that no team can include more than four overseas players in their lineup. However, rule 1.2.6 states that if all four overseas players have been named in the starting XI, an overseas player can only enter the field as a substitute for another overseas player.
However, it is important to mention that RR only used three overseas players in the playing 11. Thus it was okay to use another overseas player as substitute fielder, despite Burger being used as the impact player. There is no rule stating that the overseas player brought in as a substitute must replace an overseas player. As long as the total number of overseas players on the field did not exceed four at any given time, RR’s actions remained in accordance with the established rules.