"It's excellent news for us bowlers"
Bowlers will be allowed to use saliva to shine the cricket ball in the 2025 IPL, reversing a five-year-old ban imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made the decision after most IPL franchise captains supported the move.
A temporary saliva ban was introduced in May 2020 on medical advice to prevent virus transmission.
While sweat remained permissible, the International Cricket Council (ICC) made the saliva ban permanent in September 2022.
Players use saliva and sweat to polish one side of the ball to aid swing.
Fast bowlers rely on saliva to maintain the ball’s shine, creating an imbalance that enhances conventional swing.
It is also crucial for reverse swing, where the ball moves in the opposite direction of conventional swing. This is particularly effective in dry conditions or when the ball is older.
Saliva plays a more significant role in red-ball cricket, where the ball is used for longer periods.
However, in white-ball formats like ODIs and T20s, its impact is less pronounced.
It remains uncertain whether the ICC will lift the saliva ban for red-ball cricket following the BCCI’s decision. The ICC is led by Jay Shah, former BCCI secretary, and governs global cricket regulations.
The rule change will take effect from March 2025 when the IPL begins.
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders will face Royal Challengers Bangalore at Eden Gardens in the tournament opener.
Indian fast bowler Mohammed Siraj, who plays for Gujarat Titans, welcomed the decision.
He said: “It’s excellent news for us bowlers because when the ball is not doing anything, applying saliva on the ball will increase the chances of finding some reverse swing.
“It sometimes aids reverse swing because scrubbing the ball against the shirt will not help [to get reverse swing].
“But using saliva on the ball will help in maintaining [the shine on one side], and it is important.”
Mohammed Shami had previously urged the ICC to reconsider the ban. After India’s Champions Trophy semi-final win over Australia, he said:
“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 interesting.”
Former international bowlers Vernon Philander and Tim Southee also supported Shami’s plea.
Indian spin great R Ashwin expressed confusion over the ban:
“ICC released some research papers which said that saliva did not aid reverse swing much and that not putting saliva on the ball has not made a huge difference.
“I don’t know how they did the research, but saliva should be allowed anyways if it is not a problem.”
Former fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad warned against overlooking hygiene concerns:
“The ban on applying saliva was also about maintaining cleanliness.
“Anything can happen today, we don’t know how many – and when – a new virus enters the air. So, I think you need to be very careful in making a decision about lifting the ban.”
With the BCCI lifting the restriction for the IPL, attention will now turn to whether the ICC follows suit for international cricket.
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