'Should move on from it': PBKS star gives his verdict on much debated rule in IPL 2025

Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis has said that he would "love to see" the Impact Player rule scrapped from the Indian Premier League (IPL). Stoinis stressed that unless the Impact Player rule is introduced in international cricket, it does not help Indian cricket in any way.

The 35-year-old said that he thought the rule would have been scrapped ahead of IPL 2025.

"I think they should move on from it — unless it’s going to be introduced in international cricket. Otherwise, it doesn’t serve much purpose, especially for Indian cricket. I would love to see the rule scrapped. I actually thought it would be this year," Stoinis told Sportstar in an interview.

Stoinis felt that the introduction of the Impact Player rule wasnt "ideal" for teams who had built their squads around all-rounders. He added that all-rounders could influence a game with the bat, ball or in the field and such players "should be encouraged".

"Teams that planned around all-rounders in the previous cycle were at a disadvantage when the rule was introduced midway. That wasn’t ideal," Stoinis said.

"Being an all-rounder is one of the great challenges of T20 cricket. You’re involved in all three aspects of the game, and that should be encouraged. Bowlers know they’ll be targeted, but that’s what makes the role exciting," he added.

Stoinis' views on the Impact Player rule affecting the development of all-rounders was echoed by New Zealand's Glenn Phillips. He said that while the rule gave teams flexibility to try out different things, it could have an impact on the development of all-rounders in white-ball cricket.

Marcus Stoinis calls for saliva use to shine the ball in international cricket

The Punjab Kings (PBKS) all-rounder said that the saliva ban should be lifted in international cricket. He, however, admitted he wasn't sure how much of using saliva on the ball would help bowlers in white-ball cricket.

"To be honest, in white-ball cricket, saliva doesn’t make much of a difference when shining the ball. Should it return to international cricket? Personally, yes. We all understand why it was banned, but I think it’s fine to bring it back. Will it help bowlers? I’m not sure it will have much impact in white-ball cricket," he said.

The saliva ban was lifted ahead of IPL 2025 after prominent cricketers such as Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Shami urged the authorities to allow bowlers to use saliva on the ball.

PBKS take on Rajasthan Royals in Mullanpur on Saturday, April 5.