IPL 2025 rules that are not in force in international cricket
The new rules in IPL 2025 are the lifting of the saliva ban, the ball change in the second innings, and the fact that captains will not be banned for slow over-rates
As the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) is set to start on Saturday (March 22) at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, let’s take a look at some of the rules that are unique to the IPL and not currently in force in international cricket.
Second new ball in an innings
The BCCI is going to implement a new rule for the first time in the IPL this season. In the second innings of a match that begins at 7:30 pm, the bowling side gets to change the ball after the 11th over of the chase. The ball will be replaced with one that has been used but is dry. However, the change of ball will be decided by the onfield umpires.
This rule change has been introduced to reduce the impact of dew and level the playing field for the bowlers.
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Saliva ban rule lifted
The BCCI has decided to remove the saliva ban rule introduced in international cricket due to the COVID-19 pandemic as a precautionary measure. Players were not permitted to apply saliva to shine the ball in order to get a reverse swing.
This rule continues to be in place in international cricket but has been lifted during IPL 2025.
Captains won’t be banned
The IPL will no longer witness captains being banned for one match for three slow over-rates in a season. Instead, they will be slapped with demerit points, which will be calculated for three years.
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In international cricket, a captain is penalised match fees for slow over-rates.
Impact player rule
The impact player rule was first introduced in the IPL in 2023. This rule allows a team to use an extra player in a match apart from the original 11 it began the match with. While this rule gives the team more flexibility, it reduces the impact of all-rounders.
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Strategic time-out
In IPL, there are four strategic time-outs during each match – two in each innings. The time-outs can be taken by the fielding side between 6-9 overs and by the batting team between 13-16 overs.
There are no strategic time-outs in international cricket, only a drinks break.