As previously reported, BCCI has called a meeting of all the ten IPL captains in Mumbai ahead of the IPL 2025 commencement. The annual captains' meeting and photoshoot will be held at the BCCI headquarters two days before the season-opening match in Kolkata.
Meanwhile, one of the biggest topics on the agenda for the meeting was the use of saliva on the ball by bowlers and fielders.
Since the COVID-19 epidemic, the International Cricket Council has prohibited the use of saliva, drastically limiting fast bowlers' ability to create reverse swing, which has long been an important element in their arsenal. The rule was also applied in the IPL and other T20 tournaments across the globe.
However, with the risk of COVID-19 infections considerably reduced, several sportsmen and commentators have called for the saliva limit to be repealed. Mohammad Shami, an Indian fast bowler, has highlighted the need to allow bowlers to use saliva to make cricket balls glossy.
As per the report, the BCCI had asked the ten captains to decide and make a decision on whether the ban could be lifted on the use of saliva.
And now, on Thursday, March 20, 2025, the BCCI has reportedly lifted the ban on the use of saliva on the ball in the upcoming IPL 2025, as the majority of the IPL captains agreed to its approval.
"The saliva ban has been lifted. The majority of captains were in favor of the move," a top BCCI official told PTI.
With the development on Thursday, the IPL becomes the first major cricketing event to re-introduce saliva's use after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Furthermore, as per the Cricbuzz report, the BCCI has introduced a new rule of a second ball during the second innings of the IPL match.
In an IPL match, the second ball is used after the 11th over of the second innings. The major goal of this rule is to mitigate the impact of dew, which frequently affects night matches.
By introducing the second ball, the regulation effectively eliminates any advantage that the captain winning the toss may have had owing to the dew factor, providing a more even playing field in the games.
