Overview
- Tendulkar outlined three specific suggestions at the ESPNcricinfo awards on the eve of the IPL 2026 final: remove the Impact Player rule, allow one bowler to bowl five overs, and split the six-over powerplay into a four-over batting window plus a two-over bowling powerplay.
- He argued the Impact Player gives teams an extra batting option that deepens an existing scoring advantage and reduces the role of all‑rounders.
- Tendulkar said the proposed two-over bowling powerplay would let the fielding captain deploy defensive field restrictions later in the innings to curb late scoring bursts.
- The BCCI has not committed to immediate changes and has told media it will consider rule reviews only after the season, so the ideas remain public recommendations rather than policy.
- The Impact Player rule was introduced in 2023 and has already drawn criticism from senior players and captains as scoring in IPL 2026 reached unusually high levels, prompting renewed calls for measures to rebalance T20 cricket.