"Able to perform better because of the impact player rule" - Harbhajan Singh on Piyush Chawla and Amit Mishra's outings in IPL 2023

Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh believes the impact player rule in the ongoing IPL 2023 has helped the likes of Piyush Chawla and Amit Mishra perform better.

Harbhajan opined that the two senior spinners have benefited from the new rule, as they only have to focus on bowling their full quota of overs and can be substituted after that.

Speaking on Star Sports' show Cricket Live, Harbhajan Singh explained:

"[Piyush] Chawla and [Amit] Mishra are able to perform better because of the impact player rule as they know they have only three-four overs to bowl and during that time they can give their best. Also, both of them have class and experience."

Notably, Piyush Chawla is currently the leading wicket-taker for the Mumbai Indians (MI) this season. The veteran leg spinner has picked up 11 wickets from seven matches and has an impressive economy rate of 7.11.

Amit Mishra has also done well for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), bagging four scalps from as many games. He also has a splendid economy rate of 6.50 to his name.

While Harbhajan has suggested that the rule has been a boon for the two senior bowlers, it is worth mentioning that Chawla has not been used as the impact player by MI till now and has been a part of their starting XI in all of their seven fixtures.

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"Wanted to fit into the T20 format and that's why he changed his game" - Mithali Raj on Ajinkya Rahane's explosive knocks in IPL 2023

Ajinkya Rahane has been a revelation for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the latest edition of the IPL. The batter has performed admirably at No.3 for his side and his strike rate has also witnessed significant improvement.

Speaking about the same, former India captain Mithali Raj emphasized that Rahane was keen on carving a niche for himself in the T20 format, which led to him changing his approach.

Elaborating on the batter's reinvention, the legendary batter said:

"Rahane has reinvented his game. He wanted to fit into the T20 format and that's why he changed his game. There has been no change in his shots but there has been a lot of change in his approach. This Rahane is looking brand new."

Rahane has aggregated 224 runs from six outings in IPL 2023 , including two stunning half-centuries. The right-handed batter has played with a belligerent strike rate of 189.83.