Asia Cup: Shivam Dube Defies IPL's 'All-Rounder Killer' Rule With Stellar Performance

"The answer is in your question," shot back Shivam Dube after his match-winning spell in the Asia Cup 2025 against the UAE, when asked about his lack of bowling time in the Indian Premier League. There was a tinge of disappointment in his response before he went on to explain how the Impact Player rule has hampered the development of all-rounders in Indian cricket's T20 landscape.

Few innovations in the IPL have failed to find takers around the world, but the much-debated Impact Player rule has proven an exception. Recently, former South Africa captain and SA20 commissioner Graeme Smith ruled out introducing the rule in South Africa's premier T20 competition. The reason was simple: the Proteas want to groom a strong core of all-rounders for their national side.

Introduced in 2023, the Impact Player rule has undeniably boosted the entertainment quotient of the IPL. By allowing teams to substitute a player at any point in the game, it gives franchises the freedom to add an extra batter or bowler. While most teams have embraced it to bolster batting depth or bowling firepower, the rule has come at the expense of all-rounders. Instead of backing players who contribute in both departments, teams now prefer specialists.

Established names like Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel - proven performers with bat and ball - have largely been unaffected, but it's the emerging all-rounders still honing their secondary skills who have suffered the most.

Chennai Super Kings' Shivam Dube is one such player. A natural all-rounder, he has been pigeonholed as a big-hitter for CSK, often used as an Impact Player who comes in to dismantle spin. With his bowling opportunities drying up - just five overs across the last four IPL seasons - Dube has felt the brunt of the rule first hand.

Others share his plight. Rising star Nitish Kumar Reddy, tipped as a future Test prospect, has struggled to showcase his bowling under the Impact Player system. Washington Sundar, one of India's premier Test all-rounders, has found himself on the sidelines more often than not.

Even top players have been vocal in their criticism. Rohit Sharma, blunt as ever, called the rule detrimental to the growth of all-rounders: "Eventually, cricket is played by 11 players, not 12. I am not a big fan of 'Impact Player'. You are taking out so much from the game just because of a little bit of entertainment, for people around," he said on the Club Prairie Podcast last year.

NUMBERS DON'T LIE

The contrast is stark. In IPL 2022 - the season before the Impact Player rule was introduced - as many as 13 all-rounders bowled over 100 deliveries and scored more than 100 runs. By 2025, that number has dropped to just eight. R. Ashwin and Shardul Thakur, who topped the charts in 2022, are nowhere near the top 10 now. Only established stars like Hardik Pandya, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell have managed to withstand the Impact Player rule and continue contributing in both departments. Someone like Lalit Yadav, once earmarked as a future prospect, has simply fallen off the radar.

BACKING FROM COACHES

Dube, however, has found a crucial believer in his all-round abilities. Bowling coach Morne Morkel has spoken glowingly about the Chennai Super Kings star's improved rhythm with the ball.

Talking about Morkel's influence, Dube said: "During the England series (earlier in 2025), he told me a couple of things. He told me to use the crease and bowl from wide of the stumps. He gave me tips to get my slower ones right. I have been working on that for a long time. He has helped me with my run-up also. Because of those tweaks, I have been able to bowl well. My pace is also good and I am confident to bowl."

That confidence was on full display in the Asia Cup. Given the ball in the middle overs, Dube picked three wickets - one with a length ball that shaped away, another with a fuller delivery that trapped the batter in front, and the third with a well-directed bouncer.

He bowled only two overs but finished with three wickets for just four runs. While the UAE batting unit was far from the sternest test, Dube's control, his improved pace, and his growing self-belief were all there to see.

"This start was very important. I have always prepared for bowling four overs as an all-rounder. I am always ready for the opportunity to bowl in T20Is. I will try my best to step up for the team whenever the team needs me," he said, adding that fitness has been a big part of his bowling resurgence.

A fair share of credit also goes to head coach Gautam Gambhir, who has been instrumental in backing Dube's dual role. Known for his preference for all-rounders, Gambhir has always wanted batting depth at No. 8, and he seems intent on giving Dube the belief to both extend the batting order and offer meaningful overs with the ball.

In fact, Dube played ahead of a specialist seamer like Arshdeep Singh in the Asia Cup opener against the UAE. His match-winning spell not only justified that decision but also gave the team confidence to persist with a flexible combination - fielding an extra batter while still relying on three frontline spinners.

In an era where the Impact Player rule has made life tougher than ever for all-rounders, Shivam Dube has found rare allies in Gautam Gambhir and Morne Morkel - and with their backing, he finally has the platform to refine and showcase his secondary skill.