Gujarat Titans’ Kane Williamson approves of new rule that allows introducing an additional batter or bowler during a game; says teams will pick their playing XI keeping this change in mind
GT’s Kane Williamson (right) with Shubman Gill. Pic/Gujarat Titans @ twitter
New Zealand’s batting mainstay Kane Williamson is excited to see how the newly-introduced ‘Impact Player’ rule pans out, saying it will bring different dynamics to the game and change the way a team decides its playing XI.
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Under the impact player rule, a batter or bowler can be replaced in the middle of the game as per the match situation, to make it more exciting.
“It’s quite a different dynamic. And often, when you’re picking teams, you’re sort of weighing up one role or another. And yet, you kind of shape your side a certain way that having the ability to bring in an impact player kind of changes that a little bit,” Williamson told reporters on Wednesday. Gujarat Titans play the IPL opener against Chennai Super Kings on Friday.
Teams still unfamiliar
“I guess it’s all pretty new ground for everybody. So getting a feel for it, getting used to it, and sort of seeing how that pans out in terms of, how you shape, what you do as a side will be quite interesting to see. It’s a rule that all teams are going to try and use to their advantage, to the best of their ability. So it will be pretty interesting to see how it goes.”
According to the new playing conditions, the captains of IPL teams can name their playing XI after the toss instead of handing over team sheets before the spin of the coin.
Also read: IPL 2023: No pressure on Mi boys!
“It’s different, it’s changed there. I think every team will be trying to get their head around what it might look like and what sort of advantage they can get from making some good decisions.
“And we’ll have to see throughout the season, how that plays out, but the intention is to I suppose... it’s stacking teams a little bit more and trying to keep improving the product. So it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out.”
Sacked by Sunrisers
Williamson had captained Sunrisers Hyderabad to the finals in 2018 after replacing David Warner. However, he was sacked from the post after a poor season last year and was also not retained by the franchise. Last December, Williamson also quit captaincy of his national side.
Williamson heaped praise on Hardik Pandya, who had guided GT to a title win in their first season.
“Hardik is a world-class player. I have played against him for a number of years. He had an incredible season as a player and a leader and I am excited to play under him.
“Last year was a fantastic year for the franchise and this year is another opportunity as a team to bond. Every team changes slightly each year. And you never quite know who’s going to win. You’ll have favourites but any team can beat anybody.”
Kane sees a potential leader in Shubman
Kane Williamson sees leadership roles for India and Gujarat Titans batter Shubman Gill in future, calling him a “special player”. “Yeah, most probably, I’ve only really just seen Shubman, played against them for a few years. And you could see his quality . He’s a strong competitor. I’m sure he’d be learning a lot from a number of leaders he plays under. He has a great understanding of the game. So, there might be leadership positions that’ll come his way,” Williamson said.
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