IPL 2025: BCCI mulls lifting saliva ban ahead of 18th season

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is contemplating lifting 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.

According to reports, the proposal has been discussed broadly within the BCCI and will be 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) 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.

If the ban is eventually revoked in the 10-team tournament, it could potentially influence ICC’s stance on the matter.

Mohammed Shami recently urged the ICC to lift the ban on using saliva to shine cricket balls. 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.