As per a PTI report the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will potentially relax its ban on saliva usage during ball-shining events before IPL 2025 matches. The new season of Indian Premier League starts on March 22 when KKR will take on RCB at Eden Gardens stadium.
A PTI article states the BCCI is reviewing this option while report indicates that IPL team captains will discuss the strategy in Mumbai tomorrow on Thursday March 20.
According to ICC guidelines saliva became prohibited for ball preparation to prevent transmission of COVID-19 during the pandemic. The ICC officially prohibited saliva as cricket ball preparation in 2022.
Even though the IPL also complied with the rule, the tournament’s playing conditions do not currently need to adhere to the ICC’s prohibition.
“Using saliva on the ball was part of the essence of the game until COVID hit. Now that we don’t have that threat anymore, we feel there is no harm in lifting the ban on saliva in the IPL,” a BCCI official was quoted as saying by PTI.
“We understand that it makes a bigger impact in red-ball cricket but even if it can help bowlers a bit in the white ball game, it should be allowed in the IPL, which is a trend-setting tournament,” the official added.
Whether the captains of every club agree to remove the rule on using saliva to shine the ball in the next IPL season is still up in the air.
Will the ICC be influenced to lift ban on use of saliva to shine the ball if BCCI revokes the same during IPL 2025?
A change in ICC stance regarding ball-shining with saliva can emerge if BCCI enables its use during IPL season 2025.
Multiple prominent cricket players comprising Tim Southee and Vernon Philander alongside Muhammad Shami advocate for repealing the ban since reverse swing benefits the bowlers.
Additionally, in the forthcoming IPL 2025 season, the BCCI is probably going to permit teams to use the DRS to contest calls on height wides and wides outside the off-stump.
