The Impact Player rule was sold as a tactical upgrade. Eleven matches into IPL 2026, it is becoming something even more revealing: a running intelligence test for team managements. Almost everyone is using it. Not everyone is using it well.

That is the real early-season story. Across the first 11 matches, teams had 22 opportunities to deploy an Impact Sub and used the option 21 times. Only the Rajasthan Royals have so far won a match without activating it at all. The rule, then, has become close to compulsory in behaviour.

But the output has been far less convincing. Of those 21 substitutions, only 10 have produced a positive net swap value, nine have produced a negative one and two have been neutral. The rule is everywhere. Mastery is not.Dinesh Karthik, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) mentor and batting coach, feels that it would be difficult to keep Devdutt Padikkal out of the Indian team if he continues to perform in the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 25-year-old has begun the IPL 2026 season with a bang, scoring half-centuries in the opening two matches against the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Batting at No.3, Padikkal has managed to force the pace, and his strike rate has increased significantly compared to the last few seasons.

Padikkal entered the IPL 2026 season in a rich vein of form, scoring runs for fun in domestic cricket for the 2025-26 edition. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he scored 725 runs in 9 games, while in the Ranji Trophy, he scored 543 runs in 6 matches.

The left-hander has been out of the Indian Test team for a while, but he has a solid chance of regaining his place at No.3, considering how Sai Sudharsan failed to make the slot his own.

There is a big vacancy in the Indian Test side, and Padikkal absolutely fits the bill to take back the slot for the upcoming two-match series against Sri Lanka.Hence, it is no surprise that Karthik backed Padikkal to make a comeback if he continues to perform well in the IPL. Yes, the form in the T20 tournament should not be a factor in Test selection, but we all know this has happened in the past with other players and, in all probability, will happen in the future as well.

“The first thing that stands out is his determination. On a pitch like this, when runs don’t come easily at the start, many batters try to force a big shot and end up giving their wicket away.

Devdutt showed great courage to stay patient when the going was tough. Once he got that first boundary, you could see him switch gears. He’s playing proper cricketing shots and hitting the ball with distance,” said Karthik on Star Sports’ ‘Amul Cricket Live’.

“If he continues batting like this, it will be difficult to keep him out of the Indian team for long. He has scored heavily in domestic cricket, and we know he’s a quality player. What’s also impressive is the way he’s stepping up as a leader in the Karnataka dressing room.

Even at 25, he contributes with his ideas and leadership, and that’s great to see,” he added.

Under head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, India’s stocks have risen in white-ball cricket, but a lot has been left to be desired in Tests. India are no longer a formidable force at home, after lossing series against New Zealand and South Africa.

The chances of making it to the World Test Championship (WTC) are ever-so-slim and the side must win atleast seven out of the nine matches in the cycle to have any chance of making it to the summit clash, set to be played at the Lord’s Cricket Ground next year.