RCB fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar recently shared a funny moment before their match against PBKS on April 18. This experienced pacer just hit a milestone by becoming the first Indian fast bowler to play 300 T20 matches. During a press conference, he made a light-hearted comment about something he had totally forgotten — that the ban on using saliva on the ball was lifted for IPL 2025.
For those not in the loop, the BCCI, which is India’s cricket board, recently allowed players to use saliva again to shine the ball, a practice that was common in the sport before the COVID-19 pandemic. When the pandemic hit, using saliva was banned to help reduce the risk of spreading the virus. In 2022, the ICC made that ban a permanent rule. But now, the BCCI has brought it back just in time for IPL 2025, making it the first major tournament to reinstate this old rule.
Bhuvneshwar had a good laugh during the press conference as he recalled, I haven’t used saliva. I forgot that I can use it. When I saw Starc, it hit me that I should be using it. I’m not really sure if it will help me or not, but I’ll definitely give it a shot in the next match.
Using saliva is something bowlers do to keep one side of the ball shiny, which helps them get reverse swing. This is particularly useful in T20 cricket, where batsmen tend to go after every delivery. Some bowlers, like Mitchell Starc from DC, feel that using saliva might not make a huge difference in white-ball cricket, while others like Mohammed Shami, Siraj, and Varun Chakravarthy are really excited about the rule being back.
Interestingly, a bowler from Gujarat Titans (GT) even mentioned that saliva helped him have a standout performance this season. Now that the BCCI has brought back the use of saliva, bowlers have an additional tool at their disposal. With swing specialists like Bhuvneshwar Kumar back in action, fans are eager to see if this change will have any noticeable impact in the upcoming matches.
