Captains of 10 IPL Teams (Photo Credit: IPL) Captains of all IPL teams will meet officials from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on March 25 to discuss a number of key issues, including the Impact Player rule and code of conduct. However, the primary focus is expected to be on clarifying the two-bouncer rule, bat control, ball replacement, use of saliva and strikeout provisions. The IPL 2026 captains meeting will be held at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai.Javagal Srinath and Nitin Menon – heads of the BCCI’s umpiring and umpiring panels – will address the captains, according to a BCCI communication to franchises on Tuesday, accessed by Cricbuzz. The meeting is scheduled from 4.30pm to 6pm on Wednesday (March 25).
What will the agenda be?
The BCCI recently shared the playing conditions for the season with the franchises and highlighted the key changes to rule 4.4 (change of ball in the second innings); 5.8.3 (bat checks); 18.5.1 and 18.5.2 (deliberate short drives); 19.5.2 (fielder grounded out of bounds); 28.7.6 (restrictions on player placement); and Appendix D-3.9 (Combining Umpire Rating with Player Rating).
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RCB’s big changes ahead of IPL: New rules, tribute and squad update A cursory glance at the new season’s playing conditions available on these pages reveals no obvious changes, but the rules regarding ball substitutions are detailed – something that was missing from last year’s playing conditions. Rule 4.4 in the latest playing conditions reads:Ball exchange rules in IPL matchesIf a ball is lost, cannot be recovered or is deemed unfit for use due to normal wear and tear during play, the referee shall replace it with another ball having a similar level of wear. Once the substitution is made, the umpires will inform both the batsman and the catching captain.Second Innings Ball Replacement RuleIn evening matches, the other bowling team may request one change of ball after the completion of the 10th over. The request must be made by the bowling captain only and must be made at the end of the over (not during the over). This rule only applies once in the second innings, regardless of dew conditions, the replacement ball will have similar wear to the previous one.In addition, the referees retain the power to change the ball at any time during the match at their discretion.
Explanation of key scenarios
Scenario 1: If the umpire replaces the ball before the 10th over because it is wet, damaged, lost or out of shape, the fielding captain still retains the right to ask for the ball to be replaced after the 10th over. In this case, the arbitrator must approve the request.Scenario 2: If the captain requests a change of ball after the 10th over (eg in the 11th over) due to wet conditions and the umpire replaces it: Any further request for a change of ball later in the innings will be at the discretion of the umpires and is not mandatory.
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Scenario 3: If the captain requests a ball change during the 11th over due to damage or shape issues and the umpire agrees: The team may still make one mandatory request after the 10th over (e.g. due to late dew) and the umpire must approve it.There are also other items such as team sheet, lottery, broadcast media commitments and awards that are not detailed. The session will begin with an introduction by IPL COO Hemang Aming.
