Bowlers will once again be allowed to use saliva on the ball in IPL 2025, following a key decision made at a captains’ meeting held at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai on Thursday. Several franchise captains supported the move, prompting IPL authorities to lift the ban.
The saliva ban was initially introduced in May 2020 as a temporary health measure during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the International Cricket Council (ICC) making it permanent in September 2022. Since then, bowlers have only been allowed to use sweat to shine the ball. However, many fast bowlers have argued that the restriction has significantly reduced their ability to generate reverse swing, especially in white-ball cricket where two new balls are used in ODIs.
The move to reinstate saliva use comes after repeated calls from pacers for a change in the rules. Following India’s victory over Australia in the Champions Trophy, where Mohammed Shami starred with a three-wicket haul, the Indian pacer urged the ICC to bring back saliva usage to aid reverse swing.
“We are trying [to get reverse swing], but using saliva on the ball is not allowed. We keep appealing that we should be allowed to use saliva so that we can bring reverse swing back into the game and make it more interesting,” Shami had said.
New Zealand’s veteran pacer Tim Southee also backed the move, highlighting the importance of reverse swing, especially in batting-friendly conditions. Speaking on ESPNcricinfo’s Match Day program during the New Zealand vs South Africa World Cup semifinal, Southee emphasized the need for a balance between bat and ball.
“That was a rule brought around due to COVID-19, but as a bowler, you want to have a slight advantage. We see teams scoring 362 or frequently crossing 300 in this format. I think there needs to be something in the bowlers’ favor, and whether that’s a little bit of saliva, then yeah, I don’t see why they couldn’t bring that back,” Southee said.
(Inputs from ANI)
