BCCI Makes Major Changes in Domestic Rules: Strict Punishment on Applying Saliva, Batter will Be Given Out If...

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has introduced significant amendments to playing conditions ahead of the domestic season, which begins Friday with the Ranji Trophy. These changes impact various aspects of the game, including mid-innings retirements, ball tampering, boundary scoring, and points allocation in the Col. CK Nayudu Trophy (U-23).

Mid-Innings Retirements:

The most notable change concerns batters retiring mid-innings. According to a Cricbuzz report, any batter retiring for reasons other than injury, illness, or unavoidable circumstances will be considered dismissed immediately. Crucially, they will not be permitted to return to bat even with the opposing captain’s consent. This rule applies to all multi-day and limited-overs matches.

The BCCI mandate, shared with state boards, explicitly states: “A batter retiring for any reason other than injury, illness or unavoidable cause… will be considered as dismissed immediately on retirement and will NOT have the option of returning to bat even with the consent of the opposing captain.”

Crackdown on Applying Saliva

In a move to curb ball tampering, the BCCI has made it mandatory to change the ball if saliva is applied to it. Additionally, the team responsible for the infraction will be penalized.

Aborting a Run

The BCCI has clarified a rule regarding boundaries scored after aborted runs. If batters choose to abort a run after crossing and an overthrow occurs before they re-cross, resulting in a boundary, only four runs will be awarded.

Points Allocation in Col. CK Nayudu Trophy

The U-23 competition sees a revised points allocation system. Two specific scenarios illustrate the changes:

Scenario 1: If Team A is bowled out for 398 in 98 overs in their first innings, they earn four batting points. If they subsequently receive five penalty runs while fielding, their score becomes 403 in 98 overs, earning them a fifth batting point.

Scenario 2: If Team A is bowled out for 398 in 100.1 overs and receives five penalty runs, their score becomes 403 in 100.1 overs. However, they will not receive the fifth batting point because they consumed more than 100 overs.