IPL 2025 to lift saliva ban for bowlers
Jasprit Bumrah with Hardik Pandiya, file photo
The decision was finalized during a meeting between IPL decision-makers and team captains at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai on Thursday.
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Several captains expressed concerns that the saliva ban, initially imposed by the ICC and enforced across all levels of cricket, was negatively impacting bowlers.
They argued that the restriction had made reverse swing increasingly rare in white-ball cricket, particularly in ODIs, where two new balls are used.
The saliva ban was first introduced in May 2020 as a temporary measure during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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However, in September 2022, the ICC made it a permanent regulation.
While bowlers were still allowed to use sweat to shine the ball, several prominent figures in the cricketing world had previously called for an alternative to maintain the ball’s condition.
Among them, Jasprit Bumrah had suggested that bowlers should be given some substitute to assist in ball maintenance.
