Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) face each other in the second clash of the doubleheader Sunday.
Chennai Super Kings have won their previous two matches and are placed second on the table. Their playoff chances look pretty good right now.
Kolkata Knight Riders were handed a thrashing in their previous match against the Rajasthan Royals. They have won three of their last five games and are eighth on the points table after twelve games.
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It is a must-win match for KKR to keep their hopes for playoff qualification alive. If the hosts walk away with the points, they will be in pole position for a top-two finish.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sunil Narine will be key for CSK and KKR respectively this season. Gaikwad has been in scintillating form in this season. Sunil Narine would be licking his fingers on the opportunity to bowl at a spinners' paradise in Chepauk.
The impact player rule is the newest rule to be added to the IPL rulebook. Impact Players have often changed the game for their respective sides. The rule has added fluidity to the teams with respect to their team selection.
CSK vs KKR: Impact Player today?
CSK: Matheesha Pathirana, Nishant Sindhu, Subhranshu Senapati, Shaik Rasheed, Akash Singh
Matheesha Pathirana was brought on as the Impact Player in place of Shivam Dube as CSK look to defend a below par total of 144.
KKR: Venkatesh Iyer, Anukul Roy, N. Jagadeesan, Umesh Yadav, Lockie Ferguson
Having lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the first over, Venkatesh Iyer came in at No. 3 as the Impact Player in place of leg-spinner Suyash Sharma.
What is the 'impact player' rule in IPL 2023?
The introduction of a new rule could be a massive game-changer for the IPL, with one player from each team per game able to be substituted mid-game.
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The concept was trialled in the BCCI domestic competition and was widely praised.
The IPL has confirmed that the impact substitute must come from a list of five players, as confirmed before the toss.
Substitutions can be made either before the start of an innings; at the end of the over; at the fall of a wicket or when a batter retires.
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Once replaced, the substituted player can take no further part in the match, not even field.
The substitute could replace any player from the starting XI at any point before the end of the 14th over of either innings and was allowed to bat and bowl his full quota of overs.
In the IPL, teams are permitted to field a maximum of four overseas players per match, meaning if four overseas players are named in the starting XI, the replacement player must be Indian.
The 'impact player' rule should offer greater tactical freedom than other systems that have been used previously in India and abroad, with the BBL scrapping their X-factor sub prior to the 2022/23 season.
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