In a significant development for IPL 2025, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to lift the ban on the use of saliva for shining the ball, a change that former cricketer Atul Wassan believes will give bowlers a notable advantage, especially in generating reverse swing during the death overs. This change comes after a meeting at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai on Thursday, with franchise captains expressing their support for the decision.
Wassan explained that the key factor in reverse swing is the weight of the ball. By using saliva, bowlers can make the ball heavier, which in turn helps in achieving reverse swing—a challenge for batters, especially in the final overs. “The weight on the ball makes it reverse swing. From the sweat, the ball doesn’t get heavier; when it gets heavy, it reverses its swing. If the bowler can reverse the ball, they have an advantage and should use it,” Wassan stated. He urged bowlers to capitalize on this opportunity.
Along with the saliva rule, the Impact Player rule, introduced in IPL 2023, will continue in IPL 2025. This rule allows teams to substitute a player during a match, adding a new strategic element. Wassan praised the rule for increasing excitement in matches, especially close ones, saying, “In the Impact Player rule, you have 12 players. Sometimes, you lose five wickets, but with this rule, you can get a chance to return to the game. For close matches and entertainment, it is good.”
Jwala Singh, coach of Yashasvi Jaiswal, also weighed in on the reinstatement of the saliva rule and the Impact Player rule. Singh pointed out that reverse swing will make it harder for batters to play big shots, adding, “If the ball will reverse swing, it will be difficult for batters to hit big shots; you see players like Surya Kumar Yadav and AB de Villiers fall onto the yorkers and play big shots. If bowlers can reverse swing the ball, batters will be late onto the shots, making them hesitant while playing big shots.”
However, Singh also expressed concerns about the fairness of the Impact Player rule for all-rounders, as teams tend to choose batsmen as impact players. Despite this, he acknowledged that the rule adds to the excitement of the game: “In my opinion, the impact player rule is unfair for the all-rounder because teams choose batsmen mostly as impact players, but for entertainment, I propose it is good.”
As IPL 2025 approaches, these changes—lifting the saliva ban and continuing the Impact Player rule—are expected to bring new dynamics to the tournament, offering both strategic opportunities for teams and added excitement for fans.