The Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is just three nights away from entering its 19th edition. All the teams are gearing up for the upcoming tournament, which will last for more than two months. On the opening day, IPL 2025 champions Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). There has been a change in a new rule before the IPL.
The rules are changed during the game; All IPL captains have been warned about the fielder’s movements before and after taking a catch. All 10 franchise captains have been informed that the fielder must have complete control of the ball and his body before the catch is considered complete and the celebration can begin.
New rule of catching in IPL
An oft-repeated statement is made in section 33.3 and page 64 of the Conditions of Play: “The act of making a catch shall commence from the time the ball first comes into contact with the fielder and shall end when the fielder has gained complete control of both the ball and his own movement.”
This rule was in existence for a long time. However, during a meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday evening, the captains were shown video recordings of various catches, some of which were deemed unfair.
At least one incident clearly demonstrated the problem, with officials insisting that the fielder’s body must be in complete control for a catch to be declared legal. The teams were assured that this rule would be strictly followed. BCCI match referee chief Javagal Srinath and BCCI umpire panel chief Nitin Menon addressed this special segment of the 90-minute meeting.
All 10 captains were present in Mumbai for the captain photoshoot with the trophy. It was also discussed that the ‘Impact Player’ rule will remain in place for the next two seasons and will be reviewed after the IPL 2027 season. However, many captains have expressed disagreement with this rule.
“It was discussed and it was made clear to all of us that the Impact Player rule will remain in place for at least two more seasons,” said a franchise member who attended Wednesday’s meeting.
Many more to follow……
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