IPL 2023: 'Impact Player Rule is Interesting but Creates a Little Bit of Confusion', Says Gary Kirsten

Defending champions of IPL Gujarat Titans made some distinguished calls during the IPL 2023 auction after they roped in Kane Williamson in the side who was earlier released by the Sunrisers Hyderabad. GT signed the right-handed batter for a sum of Rs 2 crores but unfortunately, Williamson was ruled out of the tournament after suffering a knee injury in the very first game against Chennai Super Kings.

GT’s mentor Gary Kirsten admitted that Kane Williamson will be missed as he brings a lot to the table but at the same time, he also added that it’s an opportunity for someone else to fill the gap.

“Kane Williamson’s absence will definitely be felt. He is a great player and I think he would have been a perfect fit into our team environment and he was really looking forward to be a part of the setup. He will be missed. He is an experienced player and would have played a very important role for us as a leader and a batter," Kirsten replied to a News18 Cricketnext query during a media interaction.

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“That said, it provides a great opportunity for someone else to fit in that role and Sai Sudharsan has done a great job with that so far."

“The fact that we retained him is a testament to the fact that he has massive potential. This year we wanted to go to the next step with him which is to give him more game time. The set of skills which he has is great, mentally he manages himself really well," he added.

The newly introduced Impact Player rule has gathered mixed reactions so far. While some are of the opinion that the Impact Players bring the X-Factor, the former India coach said that the rule creates a bit of confusion.

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“The Impact Player Rule is an interesting one. I think it’s going to create a little bit of confusion. How to use the player, when to use the player and if at all you should use the player. Also, if that player is an international recruit, there are a lot of things to ponder around it. It’s something that we are kind of exploring at the moment," Kirsten opined.

“Possibly, you need an all-rounder less because you can go for a specialist player."

Gujarat Titans have had a long break of six days between their two recent games. They played against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday and will now be playing their next match on Saturday against Lucknow Super Giants.

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Quizzed about how the players deal with long breaks between the two games, Kirsten said that GT is a unit that likes to practice a lot and the players try to do that as much as possible.

“We have our plans during the week in terms of what we need to do. We are a team that likes to practice a lot and we certainly try to get as much of that as possible. The squad is big so you know you have a lot of players to get through. As we get closer to the match day, we kind of start focusing on what we need to do as a team. We have those various conversations to make sure we are all aligned in the same direction," he noted.

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