IPL 2024: Harbhajan Singh urges Rohit Sharma to ditch Impact Player role

Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has urged Rohit Sharma to play on the field for Mumbai Indians in the upcoming IPL season, rather than being used as an 'Impact Player', citing his invaluable leadership and experience.

Rohit Sharma, who has led Mumbai Indians (MI) to Indian Premier League (IPL) title five times, is set to return to the competitive cricket in the upcoming IPL season, starting March 28 and the legendary Indian spinner and former MI player Harbhajan Singh wants him to remain on the field and not be an Impact Player.

The Impact Player rule, introduced in the IPL in 2023, allows teams to substitute one member of the playing XI with one of five designated substitutes at any point during a match. This tactical 12th player can bat and bowl their full quota of overs, significantly boosting team strategy, increasing scoring rates, and allowing for specialised batting or bowling reinforcements.

'A Player Like Him Should Be on the Field': Harbhajan

Speaking on JioStar, the former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh urged former MI Captain Rohit Sharma to be on the field. He said, "Rohit Sharma has been used as the 12th man who just bats, but I feel that the kind of leader he has been, a player like him should be on the field." The 38-year-old Sharma played most of his matches as an Impact Player last season, where the MI finished fourth in the points table.

Leadership Value for New Captain Hardik Pandya

Singh also believes that the MI skipper Hardik Pandya can use the expertise of Sharma while taking certain calls. "In tough matches, when you need to take certain calls, when a captain sometimes needs a shoulder to lean on, Rohit Sharma can do that for Hardik Pandya," said Harbhajan.

Recapping Rohit's IPL 2023 Performance

In the last IPL season, Rohit Sharma scored 418 runs in 15 matches for the Mumbai Indians, averaging 29.86 with a strike rate of 149.29, featuring a high score of 81. He achieved this after a slow start, finishing with four 50+ scores and surpassing 7,000 career IPL runs during the eliminator against the Gujarat Titans. (ANI)

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