Every year the Indian Premier League brings new ideas, but former India cricketer Aakash Chopra feels the tournament can still be made more exciting.
Ahead of IPL 2026, he has shared five changes that he believes will add more thrill and fairness to the competition.
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From bonus points for big wins to rules like mid-season transfers and injury substitutes, here are the proposals he suggested.
Aakash Chopra wants IPL 2026 to change: His 5 proposals
1. Bonus points in IPL 2026
Chopra suggested that IPL should introduce a bonus point system. His logic was that currently net run rate plays a big role in deciding the playoff spots, but it doesn’t bring daily excitement.
According to him, a team should get a bonus point if they beat the opposition by a clear margin like chasing 200 runs in just 16 overs, or stopping the other team at least 20% below the target.
This rule, he feels, would keep even struggling teams alive in the tournament, as a few strong wins with bonus points could cover earlier losses.
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2. Substitutes for serious injuries
Chopra also raised the point of injury replacements. He said if cricket allows a concussion substitute, then why not allow a similar rule for serious injuries in IPL?
He reminded that BCCI already uses this in first-class cricket. In his view, IPL should be a path setter and make such a rule official. This will also stop situations where players are forced to continue despite heavy injuries.
3. Mid-season transfers
Mid-season transfer rule exists in IPL but is hardly used. Chopra said this should become more effective.
His proposal is that if a player is not used in the first eight matches and not even listed in the main 16-member squad, he should be automatically available for transfer.
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Teams would also have to nominate three such players. This way, unused talent will not just sit on the bench but can move to other teams and add value.
4. Leg-side wide rule
Another interesting idea from Chopra was about leg-side wides. He noted that even a small deviation outside the leg stump is called a wide today, which sometimes feels unfair.
He suggested that a proper mark or line should be used to decide wides on the leg side. Only if the ball clearly goes beyond that line should it be called a wide.
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5. Power Surge rule
Finally, Chopra brought up the Power Surge rule from the Big Bash League. In this format, batting sides can take two overs of powerplay anytime during the innings. He feels IPL could adopt this as well..