In a major development ahead of the IPL (Indian Premier League) 2025, the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) took centre stage and made the major announcement and lifted the ban which restricted players from applying saliva on the ball.
The discussion on the same had been on the agenda of the IPL captains meeting ahead of the start of the new season. In the meeting, the 10 skippers were informed about the regulations and broadcast media commitments ahead of the start of the new season.
It is interesting to note that since the Covid-19 pandemic, the ICC announced a ban on the usage of saliva on the ball. The decision hampered the pacers’ ability to reverse swing the ball, and the same rule was enforced in the IPL and across various T20 tournaments worldwide as well.
As per reports, the saliva ban has been lifted ahead of the new IPL season, and through this, the tournament has become the first major cricketing event to reintroduce the use of saliva since the pandemic.
The decision could prove to be a game changer for the bowlers, some significant rule changes of the IPL 2025 could see the batter-dominated style of the tournament shift and bring about some balance as well.
Star India pacer Mohammed Shami had recently talked about how they had often discussed letting the bowlers use saliva on the ball. "We always keep requesting the authorities to allow us to use saliva so that swing and reverse comes into play during matches," Shami said after a Champions Trophy game in Dubai.
It is interesting to note that Shami has been one of the leading voices of change which led to the change in the saliva usage rule by the BCCI. Five years since the start of the pandemic, there have been increasing calls to lift the rule with the pandemic behind us.