BCCI postpone decision on Impact Player rule for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 - Reports

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have reportedly kicked the can down the road over the application of the Impact Player rule in the upcoming season of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) -- India's premier domestic T20 competition.

According to a Cricbuzz report, the BCCI recently mailed the state associations informing them of a few new rule changes. The board also mentioned that it would provide playing conditions for SMAT, including the Impact Player rule, at a later date. The report added that the matter is with the BCCI secretary Jay Shah.

The BCCI are in a bit of a fix regarding the Impact Player rule in the IPL, with some team owners in favor of its entertainment value while others vehemently against it. Until that is resolved, it's unlikely that the BCCI will make a decision on whether SMAT will have the rule.

When it was brought to the IPL two years ago, the BCCI also applied it in SMAT as a trial and to prepare domestic players for the IPL. If the decision on SMAT comes first, it won't be wrong to expect the rule to continue in the IPL.

BCCI brings Impact Player under match fees

The report stated that although the decision was pending, the BCCI directed the state organisations to consider the Impact Player eligible for match fees equal to the rest of the playing 11 members.

"With regards to Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, if a team decides to use the 'Impact Player' during the match, he will be eligible for 100 per cent match fees over and above the playing XI," the BCCI wrote in the mail, according to the report.

The board is also said to have mentioned that if national selectors deputise an Indian player to a state cricket match, the state will have to pay them match fees over and above the 15 members of the squad.

​