The BCCI has announced two major changes during the IPL 2025 season which will benefit the bowlers during the course of the tournament. The announcement was made during the captain's meet on Thursday at BCCI headquarters.
According to Cricbuzz report, the ban on saliva will be lifted, while the teams will be allowed to take 2nd new ball after the 11th over of the innings. This decision comes after the controversial impact sub rule was discussed without any fruitful outcome, on Thursday.
The report further states that introduction of the second ball,will nullify any advantage that the captain winning the toss might have due to the dew factor. The move will also ensure that the playing field remains level in the matches.
The report while citing their source stated, “It’s up to the umpires to determine whether the ball needs to be changed. They will decide based on the presence of dew,” a source explained. As a result, this rule will primarily apply to night games, and it is unlikely that a second ball will be used in afternoon matches.
Why was use of saliva banned?
The ban on using saliva on the ball was imposed by the ICC during the Covid-19, where the ICC had advocated for safe play. The decision on lifting the ban on saliva comes after Mohammad Shami had spoken about the issue after the Champions Trophy match in Dubai. He had stated, “We always keep requesting the authorities to allow us to use saliva so that swing and reverse comes into play during matches,” .
