Now only those on the list can step near the playing area. Franchises got word from BCCI about tighter rules mid-season. Benched members must stay off limits throughout play. A recent shift keeps unused names away from boundaries entirely. Even walking out with gear or water is no longer permitted. The change came without full explanation. One thing stands certain – presence counts now more than before. Only sixteen listed faces get access per game. Substitutes missing the sheet find themselves restricted completely. Reports surfaced through Cricbuzz detailing enforcement steps taken quietly. Moving freely around the venue used to happen often. Now movement ties strictly to selection status
“Instructions have been passed to us only recently that all substitutes cannot move around during the match. They are also not allowed to carry drinks onto the field. Only the 16 named in the team for the match can do so. In addition to that, only five outside the playing XI can move around. The others can sit in the dugout but cannot move between the boundary line and the LED advertising boards,” the report quoted multiple sources as saying.
A fresh decision now sits alongside clauses 11.5.2 and 24.1.4 within the MPC. Though unchanged in volume, the framework carries a new piece. Not replaced, not removed – simply expanded through recent judgment. What stood before still stands; something extra takes its place beside them. This update fits without force, simply clicking into the structure like a missing tile.
Clause 11.5.2 of the Playing Conditions states: “An individual player may be given a drink either on the boundary edge or at the fall of a wicket, on the field, provided that no playing time is wasted. No other drinks shall be taken onto the field without the permission of the umpires. Any player taking drinks onto the field shall be dressed in proper cricket attire (subject to the wearing of bibs).”
Clause 24.1.4 reads: “Squad members of the fielding or batting team who are not playing in the match and who are not acting as substitute fielders shall be required to wear a team training bib whilst on the playing area (including the area between the boundary and the perimeter fencing).”
