Xtra Time Web Desk:Tushar Deshpande created history by becoming the first ‘Impact Player’ in the history of the Indian Premier League. He was brought in as a substitute for Chennai Super Kings in place of Ambati Rayudu during the IPL 2023 opener against Gujarat Titans.
The Impact Player rule was implemented for the first time in this year’s edition of IPL. Board for Cricket Control in India (BCCI) tested Impact Player rule during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament.
Gujarat Titans too substituted a player but that was a forced one with Kane Williamson limping off the field due to a serious knee injury. Sai Sudarshan replaced him. The former BlackCaps captain seemingly picked a knee injury while trying to attempt a catch during the CSK innings. He was rushed off the field straightaway.
Chennai named Tushar Deshpande, Subhranshu Senapati, Shaik Rasheed, Ajinkya Rahane and Nishant Sindhu as the five substitute players after the toss.
On the other hand, Gujarat named Sai Sudharsan, Jayant Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Abhinav Manohar and KS Bharat as their substitutes.