With IPL 2025 slated to commence from March 22, which is less than three weeks from now, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has introduced a new rule and decided to put a cap on the number of practice sessions for the IPL franchise teams ahead of the new season.
As per India’s apex governing body for cricket, BCCI has released a new directive stating that the participating teams can have no more than seven sessions and only two warm-up matches prior to the start of the tournament. Once the IPL tournament begins, no open nets and match-day practice will be permitted to any of the teams.
The new rules were conveyed to the IPL sides through an official BCCI note, which also authorized the host grounds to allow the utilization of the ground facilities for any local games, legends’ leagues or celebrity tournaments.
According to a report published by Cricbuzz, the new decisions were deliberately taken in view of the match venues taking additional load during the ongoing and scheduled domestic matches being played close to the start of the IPL season. The new season is all set to proceed at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, as the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders will take on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening encounter.
“In advance of the first match of the season and as set out in the Stadium Agreement, teams may have up to seven (7) practice sessions of up to three (3) hours in duration under floodlights, of which two (2) can be practice matches, or open nets as decided by the team. The practice matches to take place on one of the side wickets of the main square. If a team is playing a practice match under lights, the duration of the match should not exceed more than three and a half hours. As per the Operational Rules, practice matches require the prior written approval of the BCCI,” the BCCI note said.
The intent behind releasing the new dictates is to prepare the playing pitch for the complete season, with no practice sessions or matches being permitted on the main square ahead of the four days leading up to the relevant franchisee’s first home match of the season.
However, one side wicket per team will be provided for range hitting during these interim four days, only if requested by the home franchise and the respective state association. The note from BCCI also provided recommendations on how to deal with an unforeseen situation where in both the sides want to practice at the same time ahead of their IPL encounter.
As per the official directive, “In the event that the home and away teams wish to practice at the same time, BCCI will ask the two Team Managers to try and resolve the double booking – either by one of the teams taking another session or by the two teams sharing the session. In the event that the two teams cannot resolve the double booking, BCCI will determine the practice times having considered the requests of both teams with the likely outcome that two 2-hour slots are created thereby giving both teams similar playing conditions with exclusive use of the ground.”
My Perspective:
The amount of craze and revenue that IPL generates for each of the ten participating franchises is unsurmountable and it is only fair that all the teams receive complete fairness to ensure their home grounds are secured and uniform for each of them.
As an IPL fan and cricket buff, the rules laid out by BCCI are definitely well thought and measured. The stringent practice regulations have been conveyed to all the teams with an intend to preserve the pitch quality and maintain an even-level playing field to maximize the tournament’s preparation phase with an optimum balance.
With the 18th edition of Tata IPL set to begin from March 22 with a high-octane clash between bustling team Kolkata Knight Riders against the charged up Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the fans and enthusiasts can watch their favorite cricketers and franchises in action on Jio Hotstar App and Star Sports channels.
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