The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has changed the rules for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. A significant change is about penalties for slow over-rates, specifically for team captains.
The BCCI has decided that team captains will not be automatically banned from matches for slow over-rates anymore. Instead of bans, captains will receive demerit points. Match bans will only be used in very serious or repeated cases.
During a meeting with captains and managers in Mumbai on Thursday, March 20th, BCCI officials informed the franchises that captains will not face immediate match bans for slow over-rates. They are introducing a system similar to the International Cricket Council (ICC), where captains get demerit points based on how severe the slow over-rate is. These points will be tracked for three years.
According to an internal message, captains will be penalized with demerit points instead of immediate match bans for slow over-rates. A Level 1 offense will result in a fine of 25 to 75 percent of the match fee and demerit points, which will accumulate over three years. A Level 2 offense, if considered serious, will result in four demerit points.
An insider explained that for every four demerit points, the match referee can add more penalties, like a 100 percent fine or more demerit points. Accumulating demerit points could lead to a match ban in the future, but not immediately for a slow over-rate offense.
In the past IPL seasons, some captains have been banned for slow over-rates. For example, Rishabh Pant had to miss an important match last season, and Hardik Pandya will miss the first game of IPL 2025 due to previous slow over-rate offenses.
Furthermore, the BCCI mentioned that the Impact Player Rule, which has been controversial, will be reviewed after the 2027 season. This means the rule will continue for the current IPL cycle. The Impact Player rule allows teams to substitute a player during a match and will remain in place until at least 2027.
The BCCI has also changed the Decision Review System (DRS) rules. Now, teams can use DRS to review height wides and wides outside the off-stump. The 2024 IPL rules allowed reviews for any wide or no-ball decision. The 2025 rules are still expected.
Besides these changes, the ban on using saliva on the ball has been lifted, and a second ball will be used in the second innings to help with dew conditions.
