Days after India pacer Mohammed Shami urged the ICC to allow the usage of saliva on the ball to bring reverse swing back into the game, the BCCI lifted the saliva ban in the upcoming Indian Premier League 2025, beginning on March 22.
BCCI had been considering lifting the ban in the IPL, and had discussed the matter internally. The proposal was floated to captains of all IPL teams in a meeting in Mumbai on Thursday, and majority of the skippers agreed to it.
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— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 20, 2025
"The saliva ban has been lifted. Majority of captains were in favour of the move," PTI quoted a top BCCI official as saying.
Why did ICC ban the use of saliva on the ball?
Applying saliva to the ball – especially in red-ball cricket – has been an age-old practice to retain the shine on one side to help the ball swing. The International Cricket Council (ICC) banned it as a precautionary measure during the Covid-19 pandemic. Though it was introduced as a temporary ban in May 2020, the ICC made it permanent in 2022.
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The IPL has now become the first major cricket tournament to revoke the saliva ban, and it is likely to force the ICC to review its decision.
What did Mohammed Shami say about the saliva ban?
During the recently-concluded Champions Trophy, Shami had urged the world cricket body to reconsider the ban on the use of saliva to shine the ball, to balance the game, which, he said, is currently in favour of the batters.
"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," he had said during the tournament in Dubai.
His appeal had found resonance with fellow bowlers such as Vernon Philander and Tim Southee, and Ravichandran Ashwin.
What is the current punishment for applying saliva on ball?
Upon the first instance, the fielding team's captain is summoned and given the first warning.
If it is the second instance, the captain of the fielding side is issued a second and final warning.
The third instance results in a fine, payable to BCCI, of the lesser of 10 lakh or 25 per cent of the player’s match fee.
