During a meeting at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) headquarters, the captains of all 10 Indian Premier League franchises may discuss the possibility of lifting the ban on applying saliva on the ball during the tournament. The International Cricket Council (ICC) had initially banned the practice as a precautionary measure during the COVID-19 pandemic, before making it a permanent ban in 2022. The IPL had also followed suit and imposed a ban on using saliva on the ball.
However, some players like Mohammed Shami and Tim Southee have advocated for the use of saliva to bring reverse swing back into the game. Discussions on this issue had started during the ICC Champions Trophy. While the use of saliva may not have a significant impact in white-ball cricket, the BCCI is open to discussions and will consider the opinions of the captains.
Under the current playing conditions, if a player applies saliva on the ball for the first time, the fielding team’s captain is issued a warning. If it happens again in the same innings, a final warning is issued and any further offense will result in fines imposed by the BCCI. Subsequent instances may lead to fines of up to 10 lakh or 25% of the player’s match fee.
Ultimately, the decision on whether to lift the ban on using saliva on the ball during the IPL will depend on the feedback from the captains and further discussions among the BCCI officials.
Follow Franchise Cricket for more IPL news.
