Time for sweat to take a backseat. Because in the upcoming Indian Premier League, the fielding side will be allowed to use their saliva on the leather ball.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has lifted the ban on the use of saliva to shine the ball, but only for the IPL 2025, after receiving approval from a majority of team captains.
The decision was taken at the captains' meeting in Mumbai on Thursday.
"The saliva ban has been lifted. A majority of captains were in favour of the move," a senior BCCI official told PTI.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) had initially banned the use of saliva during the Covid-19 pandemic as a precautionary measure and made the restriction permanent in 2022.
While the IPL had adopted the ICC's guidelines, its playing conditions remain independent of the sport’s global governing body.
With this decision, the IPL becomes the first major cricket tournament to reintroduce saliva use since the pandemic. The move could also put pressure on the ICC to reconsider its stance.
The need for swing
Several cricketers, including Mohammed Shami, Vernon Philander and Tim Southee, have previously advocated for saliva application, citing its role in aiding reverse swing and maintaining the balance between bat and ball.
In addition to lifting the saliva ban, the IPL is set to introduce the Decision Review System (DRS) for height-based wides and those outside the off-stump.
The new measure will allow teams to challenge wide ball decisions using ball-tracking and Hawk-Eye technology.
Teams will be permitted to review instances where an on-field umpire signals a wide for height, enabling them to contest the call if they believe the ball did not exceed the threshold for a wide.