Ahead of the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided that the captains will no longer face match bans for the team’s slow over-rate.
Instead, there will be a demerit point for the captains. This was informed to all the teams during the captains’ meeting at the BCCI headquarters on Thursday.
The International Cricket Council has a similar policy of demerit points that are assigned to the captain based on the severity of the offence, and the BCCI, too, wants to follow that model in the IPL. “The teams were informed that the demerit points will carry over for a period of three years,” a BCCI source told Sportstar.
ALSO READ | Saliva ban lifted, Second new ball to be implemented in second innings of night matches
According to the new rule, which was communicated to the teams, the Level 1 offence will be charged 25 to 75 percent match fees with demerit points which will be calculated for next three years, while a Level 2 offence will result in four demerit points.
However, a match referee can impose a penalty – either a 100 per cent or additional demerit points – for every four demerit points accumulated.
Though several demerit points could, in the future, lead to a potential match ban, there won’t be any immediate impact on the captains for slow over-rate.
In this edition, Hardik Pandya, the Mumbai Indians captain, will miss out on Mumbai Indians’ opening game of IPL 2025 due to an over-rate offence in the previous season.
The Board has also amended that DRS clause in the playing conditions. “Now, the referral will be applicable for the height wides and wides outside the off-stump as well,” a Board insider said.