The "Impact Player" rule might have come in for sharp criticism in the ongoing IPL, but former India coach Ravi Shastri and senior spinner Ravichandran Ashwin have backed it, stating that it leads to more close finishes.
The rule, implemented in the competition last season, has been a topic of debate this edition, with some experts and current players saying that it will make all-rounders redundant.
"When any new rule comes in, there will be people who will try to justify why that's not right," Shastri said.
"But with time, when you see the scores - 200 and 190 - and then, individuals grabbing that opportunity and making the most of it, people will start re-looking at how they think about it."
Shastri vouched for the rule, saying that the game has to evolve with time.
"The Impact Player (rule) is good. You have to evolve with the times. It happens in other sports as well. It's got tighter finishes," he said on Ashwin's YouTube channel.
"I think it's a good rule. You saw the number of tight finishes we had in last year's IPL. So, it has made a big difference."
BCCI Secretary Jay Shah had recently said that the rule is not permanent.
"Impact Player is like a test case. We have implemented it slowly. The biggest advantage of it is that two Indian players are getting a chance (in each game), which is the most important," he told the media in Mumbai last week.
"We will consult with the players, franchises, broadcasters (and take a call). This is not permanent, (but) I am not saying that it will go.
"(We'll see) if it's making the game more competitive or not. Even then, if a player feels that this is not right, then we will talk to them. But no one has told us anything yet. So, it will be decided after the World Cup."
India skipper Rohit Sharma and Delhi Capitals' Axar Patel and Mukesh Kumar, also expressed their displeasure with the rule.
"I genuinely feel it is going to hold back the development of all-rounders because eventually cricket is played by 11 players, not 12," Rohit had said a couple of weeks back.
"So, I am not a big fan of the Impact Player rule because you are taking so much from the game just to make it a little more entertaining for the people around you."
