The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has revoked the ban on the use of saliva and has introduced a new rule of a second ball for the second innings of a match. These are among the key decisions made by the BCCI and the Indian Premier League (IPL) management for the upcoming IPL season.
The BCCI explained the new rules during the meeting of the captains and managers at the Cricket Centre in Mumbai on Thursday (March 20). A well-placed source, who has attended the meeting at the BCCI headquarters, confirmed the rules to Cricbuzz.
The BCCI on Thursday lifted the ban on use of saliva on the ball in the upcoming Indian Premier League after a majority of captains agreed to its proposal, making it the first major cricket competition to do away with the restriction that was a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision was taken at the captains’ meeting in Mumbai ahead of the league starting on Saturday.
On Thursday, March 20, all ten skippers gathered in Mumbai for the captains’ meeting ahead of IPL 2025, that starts on March 22 with KKR taking on RCB in the curtain-raiser match. During the meeting, the BCCI officials raised several agendas and a long discussion took place on topics such as lifting the saliva ban.
ICC imposed ban on saliva usage during Covid Pandemic
The ban on using saliva to polish the ball was first put in place in May 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, as a temporary measure. In September 2022, the ICC made the ban permanent. With bowlers allowed to use sweat to shine the ball, there had been calls from leading voices in the game to allow the use of an artificial substance in place of saliva back then.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) had banned the age-old practice of applying saliva to shine the ball as a precautionary measure during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which health practitioners advocated strict hygiene protocols and physical distancing.
In 2022, the world body made the ban permanent. The IPL too included the ICC ban in its playing conditions in the aftermath of the pandemic but its guidelines are outside the purview of the sport’s governing body
Jasprit Bumrah had said at the time that there should be “some alternative for the bowlers to maintain the ball”.
Recently, India fast bowler Mohammed Shami urged the ICC to rescind the ban on using saliva to shine the ball.
“We are trying [to get reverse swing], but the usage of saliva on the ball is not allowed,” Shami had told reporters after India’s win over Australia in the Champions Trophy semi-final. “
We keep appealing that we should be allowed to use saliva so that we can bring reverse swing back into the game and it becomes interesting.”
He had also got the backing of two former international bowlers in Vernon Philander and Tim Southee.
“That was a rule brought around Covid with the virus going around the world, but I think as a bowler, you want to have a slight advantage,” Southee said on ESPNCricinfo’s Match Day.
“We see the game going the way it’s going and seeing sides score 362 and more often than not over 300 in this format. I think there needs to be something in the bowlers’ favour, and whether that’s a little bit of saliva, then yeah, I don’t see why they couldn’t afford to get that back in,”
Saliva Ban Lifted For IPL 2025 by BCCI
In the latest events, there is a significant development as the BCCI has acted upon Mohammed Shami’s complaint as they have officially lifted saliva ban for IPL 2025 according to a report from Cricbuzz. Notably, the ban was introduced during COVID where the players were banned from applying saliva on the ball as a part of SOPs back then.
However, the BCCI felt the need to remove the rule, and the players will be allowed to apply saliva to the ball to help it reverse swing. Further, there were reports that the BCCI is also mulling to remove impact player rule. However, it was clarified that no much meeting took place and the rule will stay in IPL 2025.
The apex cricket board of India has further helped the bowlers to balance the game for the upcoming season, as the BCCI has introduced a new rule for the upcoming season, allowing teams to use 2 balls in the 2nd innings.
The rule has been brought to tackle the dew issue as teams batting second had a slight advantage and the new rule would eliminate that to have a fair playing field. However, there is a stipulation that the bowling team in the 2nd innings would be allowed to take the new ball only from the 11th over of the match.
Although, there are more conditions to it such as the umpire would decide whether the dew is enough to introduce a second ball and the rule is unlikely for the afternoon matches.
In a significant development, the BCCI has decided to scrap ban on IPL captains’ for over-rate rate and have rather introduced a demerit-point system to tackle the issue. If a player is found guilty of a Level 1 offence, he will be charged 25 to 75 per cent match fees. A Level 2 offence, if exactly deemed serious, will result in four demerit points. The demerit points will be calculated for the next three years.
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