• Source:JND
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Zaheer Khan, newly appointed as the mentor of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), has expressed his support for the impact player rule in the Indian Premier League, believing it contributes to the growth and development of Indian cricket.

This comes as he takes on the role previously held by Gautam Gambhir, who stepped down as team mentor in late 2023 to focus on his position as India's head coach.

"There has been a debate around the impact sub rule. I'm going on record to say that I'm all for it," Zaheer told reporters as quoted by PTI.

The introduction of the impact substitute rule in IPL 2023 has sparked a divided response, with prominent players like Virat Kohli expressing concerns that it disrupts the game's equilibrium, and India captain Rohit Sharma openly stating his reservations, confessing he's not a strong supporter of the rule.

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Notably, a recent meeting between IPL team owners and BCCI officials in July failed to reach a consensus on retaining the impact player rule, among other key issues like the mega auction, Khan, the 45-year-old former Mumbai Indians player and current director of cricket, strongly believes that the rule has significantly benefited young Indian players, providing them with a substantial opportunity for growth.

"It has definitely given opportunities to a lot of uncapped Indian talents. It is something you will see this in the mega auction when teams will be looking at them," he said.

"That opportunity goes a long way with improving Indian cricket on the whole. The time spent in match time, it's something you cannot beat. That's the biggest plus," Zaheer said.

"As far as all-rounders are concerned, right now there is no space for a half all-rounder because of the impact sub (rule). But if you are a genuine all-rounder, (then) no one can stop you. There is always going to be a value addition with the ability with bat and ball," he added.

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Lucknow Super Giants have experienced a mixed bag of results in their IPL journey, making the playoffs in two out of three seasons, but failing to replicate that success in 2024, where they finished in seventh position with 14 points, marking their first-ever absence from the playoffs.