The ban has been in place since the COVID-19 pandemic hit
The BCCI has decided to lift the ban on the saliva in the upcoming Indian Premier League (2025) on Thursday after the majority of the franchise captains agreed to the decision during a meeting at the Board headquarters in Mumbai.
“Suggestions were sought from the captains and they unanimously agreed that the ban should be lifted in a bid to offer something to the bowlers,” a source told Sportstar after the captains’ meeting.
The old-school way of shining the ball using saliva has been banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2020 as a precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The ICC had made the ban permanent in 2022.
Bringing back the use of saliva has been proposed by multiple players, including India’s lead pacer Mohammad Shami who spoke about it during the Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai.
“We always keep requesting the authorities to allow us to use saliva so that swing and reverse comes into play during matches,” Shami had said.
The rough side of the cricket ball creates a resistance to air on one side which aids its lateral movement.
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The IPL restoring the practice, could also prompt the ICC to reconsider the rule from three years ago in international cricket. According to Sportstar’s report, the discussions around the topic had begun within the sport’s governing body during the Champions Trophy.
Besides the saliva ban topic, there was also another guideline change okayed by the captains at the meeting. After the 11th over in the second innings, a second ball will be introduced which will nullify the impact of dew on the match. As the IPL will be played during peak Indian summer where evenings bring in a lot of dew which in turn makes life difficult for bowlers to grip the ball. The second ball will nullify the advantage for the team that elects to bowl first at places where dew is a big factor.
The IPL 2025 will begin on Saturday with the clash between defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
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