The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is rolling out a new demerit points system for this season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). They’ve taken a cue from the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Code of Conduct but made some tweaks. Unlike the ICC’s five-year rule for carrying over demerit points, the BCCI will keep them on record for three years, according to a report by Cricbuzz.
The demerit points a player or team official gets will stick around for thirty-six months, the BCCI stated. If a player or official collects four to seven points, they’ll face a one-match ban; eight to eleven points means a two-match ban, twelve to fifteen points leads to a three-match ban, and if they reach sixteen points or more, it’s a five-match ban within those three years. The number of demerit points given depends on the type of offense. For a Level 1 offense, there’s one demerit point and a fine of 25% of the match fees. Level 2 can rack up 3-4 points, Level 3 can get 5-6 points, and Level 4 can go from 7 to 8 points.
Also, penalties can be set for a specific time or matches, based on what the match referee or an ombudsman decides. If a Match Referee or Ombudsman gives a suspension to any Player or Team Official and it’s not for a specific time (like one year), that suspension will be measured in Suspension Points. Each match will count as one Suspension Point. So, if there’s a sanction of one Suspension Point, it’ll equal one match suspension, the report adds.
The IPL Governing Council has approved these new rules, and team captains and their squads were informed about the changes in an earlier meeting. The new season kicks off with the Kolkata Knight Riders, the defending champions, facing the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 22 (Saturday).
