The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced another set of rules for the ongoing Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026). The ongoing season has already witnessed two dominant performances where RCB and the Mumbai Indians thrashed SRH and KKR in their respective games.
Before the ongoing IPL 2026 got underway, the BCCI had made a number of changes in the existing rules, and now they have made things tougher for the players and franchises going forward.
BCCI introduces new rules for IPL 2026
As reported by Cricbuzz, the BCCI has sent a clear message to all IPL teams that there will be no automatic double checks during DRS referrals in the ongoing season. From now on, reviews will only focus on the original point of appeal.
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Any other checks, like wide or height balls, will be looked at only if the other team requests a review within the allowed time. With this move, the board aims to speed up the game and make DRS decisions fairer for both sides in the world’s biggest T20 league.
It is also being said that the Indian cricket board experts demonstrated several scenarios to the teams, showing exactly how different appeals, including catches and wide balls, will be handled under the new rules.
DRS Changes: No automatic double checks
For example, if the bowling side appeals for a caught-behind and decides to take a review, the umpires will focus only on whether the ball touched the bat. If the ball clearly misses, no other checks, like a height wide will take place unless the batting side asks for a review within the 15-second window this season
Batters will not get extra time beyond the 15-second limit to request a check, as they already have full knowledge of the delivery. Apart from changes in the DRS rules, the BCCI has also updated a number of other playing conditions for the ongoing IPL 2026.
New timers, penalties, and concussion rules
A new innings timer and 60-second clock will now be displayed on the scoreboard and big screens at the stadiums. Teams will get warnings if the bowler is not ready to deliver on time, and repeated delays will result in a 5-run penalty to the batting side.
The board also updated the concussion rules. If a player suffers a concussion, a like-for-like replacement can be used from the nominated substitutes.
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Wicketkeepers can be replaced from the available squad, and overseas players may be replaced by Indian substitutes if the team has already fielded four foreign players.
Stricter handling of team sheets
Team sheets will now be handled more strictly in the league. After the toss, the captains will carry one sheet each of the batting and bowling sides and hand them over to the match referee.
Additionally, the team managers will also exchange sheets, and the remaining copies will be given to the assistant venue manager to make sure everything is done properly before the matches.
Additionally, the BCCI has also recently held a detailed fielding coaches workshop at its Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. The workshop included both classroom sessions and practical on-field training.
Coaches who attended got a complete understanding of modern fielding, learning not just the technical skills but also the tactical strategies needed to improve players’ performance in the field.
