Former cricketer pitches bold rule tweak for benched IPL players during tournament: 'You're only a flight away'

Former England cricketer Michael Vaughan suggested a radical regulation amendment for the players benched by franchises during the Indian Premier League tournament in India.

Michael Vaughan has suggested a unique IPL rule for the players who are benched throughout the tournament. Image: Reuters

FirstCricket Staff|Jun 03, 2026, 17:23:34 IST

The Indian Premier League once again delivered some of the most intense limited-overs cricket, with players stepping up in high-stakes moments to cement their legacy in T20 history.

Yet, not every cricketer gets the opportunity to showcase their skills. With team management prioritising strategies aimed at victory, certain players are left out of the playing equation, with one such example being all-rounder Rachin Ravindra.

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KKR's high-profile INR 2 crore pick was on the bench throughout the season and left the camp early to join New Zealand for the upcoming England Tests. In response, former cricketer Michael Vaughan has suggested bringing in a new system in the IPL to address such situations.

Vaughan proposes unique IPL rule

Speaking on The Overlap Cricket, Vaughan proposed a new IPL system in which benched players should be allowed to return to their home countries, participate in domestic cricket, and rejoin the IPL when required by their franchise.

The former cricketer illustrated the idea with Jordan Cox's example, saying, "Jordan would have got sent back to England because you're only a 10-hour direct flight away from India. Sent back to England, carry on playing for your county; By the way, we want you, you just get back on the plane."

Livingstone dismisses the idea

Liam Livingstone, however, expressed his reservations over Vaughan's idea and emphasised the importance of continuous play.

"For me, I benefit from playing as much as I can. Yeah, I always find it hard to come from not playing cricket to going straight into a game. I've thought about it," the English cricketer said.

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When Vaughan asked whether he would be comfortable if SRH implemented such a model, Livingstone dismissed the idea.

"The counterargument to that is, what happens if someone gets injured in a warm-up? You've got to be straight inside. I don't think it's ever going to happen," Livingstone added.

With IPL 2026 now wrapped up, Livingstone is expected to feature for England in the upcoming white-ball series against India, beginning July 1, 2026.

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