The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has picked seven new Indian umpires to officiate in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). It is a great decision taken by the BCCI as it will give the umpires perfect exposure to a high-profile match.
Not only the board has decided to introduce these umpires for IPL 2025, but they will also be mentored by veterans like S Ravi and CK Nandan. Both Ravi and Nandan are highly experienced and have officiated at the international level.
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Seven new Indian umpires picked by BCCI
The seven umpires introduced by the BCCI are Swaroopanand Kannur, Abhijeet Bhattacharya, Parashar Joshi, Anish Sahastrabuddhe, Keyur Kelkar, Koushik Gandhi, and Abhijeet Benge. It will be a great learning experience for these umpires to learn at such a big stage.
“Koushik Gandhi is a former Tamil Nadu player who has featured in 34 first-class matches. He is just into his second season as an umpire, but following impressive performances, he has been fast-tracked into women’s internationals, the Women’s Premier League and now the Indian Premier League,” a source was quoted as saying TOI.
The BCCI wants to give these umpires the exposure of officiating in high-profile matches where the stakes are very high. It will be a perfect opportunity for these men as it will help them be promoted to international cricket as well.
While these are the Indian umpires, three international umpires have also been named to officiate in IPL 2025. Those names are Chris Gaffaney, Michael Gough, and Adrian Holdstock. The Indian umpires will gain plenty of experience under the supervision of the international umpires, who are more experienced.
Anil Chaudhary, who has emerged as a big name among India’s umpires and has officiated in the previous seasons as well, is not a part of the umpiring panel now. He has moved on to the TV commentary and will be seen in the commentators’ panel.
BCCI’s new rules for IPL 2025
The BCCI also introduced some rule changes just a couple of days before the first match of IPL 2025. The board decided to allow the use of saliva on the ball after it had been banned for several years.
The rule change will bring bowlers into the game much more than before. Prominent names like Mohammed Shami have also spoken in favor of using saliva on the ball in order to bring a balance between bat and ball.
The BCCI also introduced a rule to tackle dew in the second innings. A second ball will be used from the 11h over of the second innings which will help the teams bowling second in tackling dew.
IPL 2025 opener
The 18th edition of the Indian Premier League will begin on March 22 with the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders facing Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
The tournament is expected to be an exciting one with the new rule changes and it remains to be seen how the players adapt to it. All the teams are well-balanced and ready to prove themselves on the big stage.
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