Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel is not a fan of the Impact Player rule since it limits the contribution of all-rounders.

“I don’t like it,” he said during a news conference on Monday before insisting that it hurts the growth of his tribe. “I don’t like this rule as I am an all-rounder myself (laughs). Earlier, we used to pick all-rounders for this role (batting and bowling). Now, team management goes with a particular batter or bowler, they say why do we need an all-rounder? Being an all-rounder myself, I don’t like it, but at the same time rules are rules. We have to follow them. But personally, I don’t like it,” he said.

Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya have already spoken against the Impact Player rule.

Axar had an underwhelming season last year, bowling only 204 balls compared to 264 balls in the previous one, picking up five wickets at 57.60.

Asked if the Impact Player rule had any bearing on his limited contribution, Axar said: “The 2025 Champions Trophy was right before the IPL. During the Champions Trophy, my spinning finger sustained a cut... when I was bowling, because of the seam of the ball, it kept getting cut further. It turned into a deep cut. Because of that, I couldn’t put pressure on the rotation of the ball. I was bowling less because of that.

“I was thinking of bowling only wherever needed and saving my finger. After seven matches, when my finger healed, I resumed bowling. It was not because of the Impact Player rule.”

Axar’s batting has also seen an improvement over the years and he doesn’t wish to take much credit for it. “You’ve seen me be the same for so many years... whatever the team requires, I do that. That’s why the tag of crisis-man has come up. I take up the role as per the team’s requirement, be it a finisher or a middle-order batter.”