After much deliberation, the BCCI has decided to retain the Impact Player rule for the IPL 2025, and New Zealand batter Kane Williamson said the all-rounders’ role might continue to be a little underwhelming. Williamson, who was part of the Gujarat Titans last season, went unsold in the IPL 2025 Mega Auction, shocking many around the world. But, in an even more surprising turn of events, broadcaster Star Sports revealed that the two-time IPL champion would be making his comeback to the coveted league, as a part of their star-studded commentary team. In an interaction with the media on Friday, Williamson shared his thoughts on how the role of an all-rounder is affected by the Impact Player rule. “I mean, it does a little bit. The fact that you decide your team after the toss and therefore shape that Impact Player and how you want to approach the game really. I mean, you go in with five front-liners now and perhaps another sixth option,” said the NZ batter. “Most teams sometimes have even more than that. And then with the bat, most teams are batting to eight and even deeper. As we know in T20 cricket, the percentage of balls past seven that batsmen face are very, very low. “So naturally that sort of tells you that the all-round option is perhaps still attractive but not quite as important as it has been in the past.” However, the Kiwi also saw the positive side of the rule. “But then also there are some positives for sure that it’s changed the game. I saw some numbers recently that naturally run rates have all increased,” he said. IPL 2025 is set to kick off tomorrow, March 22, with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru taking on defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the tournament opener at the Eden Gardens.