In major move ahead of IPL 2025, BCCI lifts ban on using saliva on ball that was imposed due to Covid-19

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday lifted the ban on applying saliva to the ball during the upcoming (IPL) season, scheduled to commence on March 22. The decision was taken at the captains' meeting in Mumbai after majority of captains agreed to its proposal.

"The saliva ban has been lifted. Majority of captains were in favour of the move," a top BCCI official told news agency PTI.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) had initially prohibited the age-old practice of applying saliva to shine the ball as a precautionary measure during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2022, the ICC made this ban permanent. While the IPL had adhered to 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. 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 trendsetting tournament. Let's see what the captains decide tomorrow," a BCCI official told PTI.