IPL 2025: BCCI revokes saliva ban ahead of 18th season

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has revoked the saliva ban ahead of the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which gets underway on Saturday, March 22, with defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) taking on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

The proposal was being discussed broadly within the BCCI and was officially presented to the captains of all 10 IPL teams during a meeting in Mumbai on Thursday, March 20. For the unversed, the International Cricket Council (ICC) had banned the usage of saliva to shine the cricket ball during the COVID-19 pandemic as a precautionary measure.

In 2022, the ICC made this ban permanent. While the IPL Governing Council followed the ICC's guidelines in the aftermath of the pandemic, its playing conditions are not bound by the sport's governing body.

"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 source was quoted as saying by Times of India.

"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. Let's see what the captains decide tomorrow," the source added.

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Mohammed Shami recently urged the ICC to lift the ban on using saliva to shine cricket ball. He explained that not allowing the usage of saliva on cricket balls hinders reverse swing and makes the sport less interesting. The Indian seamer also received support from Tim Southee and Vernon Philander among others.

"We are trying [to get reverse swing], but the usage of saliva on the ball is not allowed," Shami had told reporters after India's win over Australia in the Champions Trophy semi-final. "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."

The Indian seamer also received support from Tim Southee and Vernon Philander among others.

"That was a rule brought around Covid with the virus going around the world, but I think as a bowler, you want to have a slight advantage," Southee told ESPNcricinfo. "We see the game going the way it's going and seeing sides score 362 and more often than not over 300 in this format. I think there needs to be something in the bowlers' favour, and whether that's a little bit of saliva, then yeah, I don't see why they couldn't afford to get that back in."