Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s Example Cited To Slam Impact Player Rule: ‘Player Will Receive Full Match Fee’ Sanjay Manjrekar, a former India batter, has criticized the IPL’s Impact Player rule, arguing that it hinders the all-round development of young talents like 15-year-old Rajasthan Royals star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Sooryavanshi has been a standout performer in IPL 2026, scoring 583 runs in 14 matches and playing a pivotal role in his team’s playoff run. However, the Impact Sub rule has limited his fielding opportunities, keeping him sidelined for most of the matches. Manjrekar, speaking to Sportstar, questioned whether the rule encourages one-dimensional cricketers by restricting their involvement in games. Manjrekar emphasized that the rule undermines the holistic growth of emerging players. “The more I think about it, the more I feel we need to do away with the Impact Player rule for this very reason,” he said. “Is that really what we want to see about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi? To only see one side of his game?” He argued that cricket should challenge players across multiple facets rather than allowing specialists to contribute briefly before sitting out the rest of the game. The former wicketkeeper highlighted the disparity between a player’s contribution and their financial rewards. “I was just thinking about this when I saw Rohit Sharma in the last game. He scored 22 runs off 15 balls. His entire contribution lasted 15 deliveries,” Manjrekar said. “Yet he’ll still receive the full match fee or whatever comes with it. When there’s easy money to be made for very little effort, you have to start questioning that model. That can never be a sustainable, long-term formula for success.” Manjrekar stressed that evaluating players solely on batting or bowling is insufficient.#rajasthan_royals #ipl #vaibhav_sooryavanshi #sanjay_manjrekar #impact_player_rule
