IPL 2023: Top 5 Impact Players used so far

The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has lived up to its hype thus far. Each team on a particular day has given the other a run for its money and fans have been kept at the edge of their seats. After over two weeks of engaging tussle, Rajasthan Royals are at the top of the table with six points in four games with a superb net run rate of 1.588.

The Impact Player rule has also added more spice to the contest and the franchises have tried their best to employ the rule to their advantage. There have been times when the Impact Player entered the IPL arena and left the cricket fraternity amazed by his performances.

Here are the top five Impact Players used in IPL 2023 so far:

5. Vijay Shankar (29 runs off 23 balls) vs Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans took centre stage for the 7th match of the 2023 season of the cash-rich league. Delhi batted first and posted 162 runs on the board, courtesy of vital contributions from Axar Patel (36 runs off 22 balls) and Abhishek Porel (20 runs off 11 balls).

Gujarat Titans in response, were in a tricky situation, having lost three wickets for 54 runs. GT slotted in Impact Player Vijay Shankar at the number five position in a bid to stabilise the innings. Shankar stitched a 53-run stand with Sai Sudharsan to get his team back on track.

Shankar notched up 29 runs off 23 deliveries, which included three boundaries. After the right handed-batter was dismissed, Sudharsan (62* runs off 48 deliveries) and David Miller (31* runs off 16 balls) drove the Gujarat side to victory in 18.1 overs.

4. Ayush Badoni (30 runs off 24 balls) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

Royal Challengers Bangalore clashed against Lucknow Super Giants in the 15th match of IPL 2023. Lucknow won the toss and decided to field first. Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell tormented the LSG bowlers with their marauding bats and helped Bangalore post a humongous total of 212 runs on the board.

Chasing the target of 213, Super Giants were in a precarious situation, having lost their fifth wicket in the 12th over with 105 runs on the board. It was up to Nicholas Pooran and Impact Player Ayush Badoni to bail them out of the crisis.

The duo put together an 84-run stand for the sixth wicket off just 35 balls to change the momentum of the game in favour of Lucknow. Pooran (62 runs off 19 balls) was the aggressor in the partnership.

After the West Indies batter was dismissed, Badoni kept the scoreboard ticking and put Lucknow on the verge of victory. The youngster piled on 30 runs off 24 deliveries, which comprised four boundaries. Eventually, KL Rahul & Co. won the game by a wicket in a last-ball thriller.

3. Dhruv Jurel (32* runs off 15 balls) vs Punjab Kings

Rajasthan Royals squared off against Punjab Kings in the eighth match of the ongoing edition of the lucrative T20 tournament. RR won the toss and skipper Sanju Samson opted to bowl. Punjab posted a daunting total of 197 runs on the board riding on magnificent half-centuries from Prabhsimran Singh (60 runs off 34 balls) and Shikhar Dhawan (86* runs off 56 balls).

Rajasthan in response, were in a spot of bother at 124 for 6 in 15 overs. The team management decided to send Impact Player Dhruv Jurel ahead of Jason Holder. The move raised many eyebrows as Holder has been a proven performer in the shortest format of the game.

But Jurel repaid the franchise's faith and knocked the wind out of Punjab's bowling attack. The youngster hammered 32* runs off 15 deliveries, which comprised three fours and two sixes. However, his valiant effort went in vain as PBKS pipped Rajasthan by five runs in a humdinger of a game.

2. Suyash Sharma (4-0-30-3) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

Kolkata Knight Riders crossed swords against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the ninth match of the T20 extravaganza at the Eden Gardens. After being put into bat, Kolkata posted a mammoth total of 204 runs on the board, with Shardul Thakur top-scoring (68 runs off 29 deliveries).

After the batters inflicted carnage on the opposition, the KKR spinners came to the party and tormented the Bangalore batting unit with their guile. Mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy led the way with the ball and registered impeccable figures of 3.4-0-15-4.

Also, Suyash Sharma, who was making his IPL debut and was Kolkata’s Impact Player, weaved his magic and took a brilliant three-wicket haul. He finished the game with superb figures of 4-0-30-3. Eventually, Faf du Plessis & Co. were bundled out for 123 runs in 17.4 overs.

1. Venkatesh Iyer (83 runs off 40 balls) vs Gujarat Titans

Gujarat Titans took the stage alongside Kolkata Knight Riders in the 13th match of the 16th IPL edition at the Narendra Modi Stadium. GT batted first and piled on 204 runs in 20 overs courtesy of astonishing half-centuries from Sai Sudharsan (53 runs off 38 deliveries) and Vijay Shankar (63* runs off 24 deliveries).

Chasing the target of 205, Kolkata lost both their opening batters in four overs with only 28 runs on the board. However, Impact Player Venkatesh Iyer and skipper Nitish Rana rose to the occasion and hammered the opposition bowlers all across the park. The duo notched up a 100-run stand off 55 balls for the third wicket.

Venkatesh blasted 83 runs off 40 deliveries, which included eight boundaries and five maximums. In the end, KKR won the game by three wickets thanks to an innings for the ages from Rinku Singh (48* runs off 21 balls) where he smashed five consecutive sixes to take his team across the line.