BCCI lifts saliva ban in IPL after captains agree to Shami’s complaint; counters dew factor with 2nd-new-ball rule

BCCI also introduced a fresh rule to eliminate dew as a major factor in IPL matches

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Thursday, lifted the COVID-imposed ban on using saliva on the ball in the impending 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after the majority of the captains agreed to the proposal.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) banned the age-old practice of applying saliva to shine the ball during Covid-19 as a precautionary measure. IPL introduced the rule in the aftermath of the pandemic.

However, the call to remove the ban was more on the cards after India fast bowler Mohammed Shami urged the authorities to do away with it. “We are trying [to get reverse swing], but the usage of saliva on the ball is not allowed. 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 said earlier this month, during India’s Champions Trophy campaign in Dubai. The statement was echoed by veteran fast bowlers Vernon Philander and Tim Southee.

On Thursday, the BCCI decided to revoke the ban on saliva at the captains’ meeting in Mumbai. With this development, the IPL became the first major cricketing event to re-introduce saliva use after the pandemic.

“The saliva ban has been lifted. The majority of captains were in favour of the move,” a top BCCI official told PTI.

BCCI’s counter for dew factor

The Indian board also introduced a fresh rule to eliminate dew as a major factor in IPL matches, allowing the use of a second ball in the second innings of a game. The second ball will be introduced after the 11th over in the second innings. According to Cricbuzz, the rule will “effectively nullify any advantage that the captain winning the toss might have due to the dew factor, ensuring a more level playing field in the matches.”

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