The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced another set of rules for the ongoing Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026). The current season has already seen two dominant performances, with RCB and Mumbai Indians defeating SRH and KKR in their respective matches.
Before the ongoing IPL 2026 started, BCCI had made several changes to the existing rules, and now they have made things more difficult for the players and franchises.
BCCI introduced new rules for IPL 2026
As per Cricbuzz report, BCCI has sent a clear message to all the IPL teams that there will be no automatic double checking during DRS referrals in the current season. From now on, reviews will focus only on the core point of appeal.
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Any other investigation, such as a wide or high ball, will only be taken into account if the other team requests a review within the time allowed. With this move, the board aims to speed up the game and make DRS decisions fair for both sides in the world’s biggest T20 league.
It is also being said that experts from the Indian Cricket Board showed several scenarios to the teams, showing how various appeals, including catches and wide balls, would be handled under the new rules.
DRS change: no automatic double checking
For example, if the bowling side appeals caught-back and decides to seek a review, the umpire will only focus on whether the ball has touched the bat or not. If the ball is clearly missed, no other check such as a height wide will be made unless the batting side asks for a review within the 15-second window in this season.
Batsmen will not get additional time beyond the 15-second limit to request a check, as they already have full knowledge of the delivery. Apart from the changes in DRS rules, BCCI has also updated several other playing conditions for the ongoing IPL 2026.
New timers, penalties, and concussion rules
A new innings timer and 60-second clock will now be displayed on scoreboards and large screens in stadiums. If the bowler is not ready to deliver on time then teams will receive a warning and repeated delays will result in a penalty of 5 runs to the batting team.
The board also updated concussion rules. If a player is injured, a similar replacement from among the named substitute players may be used.
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Wicketkeepers can be replaced from the available team, and if the team has already fielded four foreign players the foreign players can be replaced by Indian substitutes.
Strict management of team sheets
Team sheets will now be handled more strictly in the league. After the toss, the captain will take one sheet each from the batting and bowling side and hand it over to the match referee.
Additionally, the team managers will also exchange sheets, and the remaining copies will be given to the assistant venue manager to ensure that everything is done properly before the match.
Additionally, the BCCI has also recently conducted a detailed fielding coaches workshop at its Center of Excellence in Bengaluru. The workshop included both classroom sessions and practical on-field training.
The coaches present got a thorough understanding of modern fielding, learning not only the technical skills but also the tactical strategies required to improve the players’ performance on the field.
