The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced major rule changes for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy which may imply in the IPL 2024 as well. The BCCI has confirmed two bouncers per over will be allowed in the upcoming edition of SMAT and a minor tweak in the Impact Player Rule as well.
The Indian Board held its 19th Apex Council meeting in Mumbai on July 7 and made a host of announcements including a couple of rule changes it plans to introduce for its domestic T20 tournament which is scheduled to be played in the months of October-November.
BCCI allows two bouncers per over for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
“The BCCI has decided to introduce two bouncers per over in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to balance the contest between bat and ball,” the BCCI said in a media release on July 8.
The permission to bowl two bouncers per over will add a new weapon to the pace bowlers’ armoury. Earlier, they could only bowl one bouncer per over which made them look less threatening.
Earlier, the BCCI had experimented the Impact Player Rule in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022 ahead of the IPL 2023 and after getting a positive response from the cricketing fraternity they implied it in the marquee tournament as well.
The new rule introduced by the Indian Board which will allow bowlers to use two bouncers per over, might also get implemented in the IPL 2024 if it gets positive feedback in the upcoming SMAT edition and helps to balance the contest between bat and ball.
The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament will see a couple of more rule changes as stated by the BCCI. The Indian board has also introduced a couple of minor changes in the Impact Player Rule ahead of the upcoming SMAT 2023 edition which will be played from October 16 to November 6 later this year.
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Earlier, the Impact Player could only be used before the 14th over of an innings in SMAT, but now the rule can be used at any time during the match just like it was in the IPL 2023. Teams will now have to announce their playing XIs and four substitute players before the toss.
“The teams will have to select their playing XI along with 4 substitute players before the toss. The teams can use the Impact Player at any time during the match,” the BCCI release stated.
