“But because of this rule, the team management picks a particular batsman or bowler, thinking ‘why do we need an all-rounder?’ Since I am an all-rounder, I don’t like this rule. Besides, rules are rules and we have to follow them. However, from a personal point of view, I don’t like this rule,” he said during a pre-season press conference.Delhi Capitals will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on April 1. This is not the first time Akshar has raised concerns about the rule. In 2024, when he served as vice-captain, he had mentioned that the impact player rule had affected his batting position.Despite maintaining a career IPL economy rate of 7.3, Axar endured a difficult bowling season in 2025, which was his least effective since joining Delhi in 2019. He gave runs at the rate of 8.5 per over and could take only five wickets in 11 innings. However, he clarified that his struggle was due to a finger injury suffered during India’s successful 2025 champions trophy Campaign, not Impact Player rules.“It was just before the 2025 Champions Trophy IPL. During the whistle, I got a cut on my spinning finger: as I was bowling, it was getting cut further because of the seam of the ball. It turned into a deep wound. Because of this I could not create pressure and rotation on the ball.“I was bowling less because of this and was thinking about bowling only where needed and saving my finger. After seven matches, when my finger healed, I started bowling again. It was not because of the Impact Player rule,” he said.While his bowling numbers declined, Axar compensated for it with the bat, enjoying one of his most productive IPL seasons in 2025. He scored 263 runs at a strike rate of 158 in 11 innings, including four scores above 30, and maintained a strike rate of 159 in the middle overs to provide the momentum for Delhi.