Impact player rule retained, saliva ban lifted after IPL 2025 Captains' Meet: Reports

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season is set to begin on Saturday, March 22. Ahead of the new season, the BCCI arranged a meeting with captains of all 10 franchises on Thursday, March 20, in Mumbai.

According to reports, the impact player rule, which was among the key topics to be discussed during the IPL 2025 Captain's Meet, has been retained. This rule allows a team to replace a player from their initial playing XI at a later stage of the match.

Further, the BCCI has also lifted the ban on the use of saliva to shine the ball, as reported by Cricbuzz. The use of saliva was banned following the COVID-19 pandemic but will now be back, which will significantly aid bowlers.

Moreover, the use of a second ball during the second innings will also be introduced in the IPL 2025 season. The second ball will be available after the 11th over of the second innings with the objective of countering the dew factor, particularly in night games.

However, the decision to use the second ball will be left to the umpires who will decide if the ball needs to be changed based on the presence of dew during the game.

The BCCI explained these rules to the captains and managers of all teams during the IPL 2025 Captains' Meet in Mumbai.

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What were the topics of discussion during the IPL 2025 Captains' Meet?

Apart from the discussion on the impact player rule, lifting the ban on using saliva, and the use of two balls, there were also certain other agendas to be discussed during the IPL 2025 Captains' Meet ahead of the new season.

These included topics such as allowing two bouncers, concussion replacement, DRS reviews and countdown, use of DRS to challenge waist high full tosses and wides, innings timer, and notification for time out among a few others.

As for the IPL 2025 season, the opening match of the tournament will be played between defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru on March 22 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.