IPL 2026 is going to start from March 28, 2026, and before the start of the tournament, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) held a special meeting with the captains of all the teams.

Sports News: IPL 2026 is going to start from March 28. Before this tournament, BCCI has held a meeting with the captains of all the teams and issued instructions regarding the rules. In the meeting, BCCI made it clear that there will be a ban on practice on the match day and players cannot travel with their families.

In addition, the rules of catching have also been tightened: a catch will be valid only if the fielder has complete control over both the ball and his body, and only then can celebration be allowed.

Strictness in catch rule

The BCCI made it clear to the captains that any catch celebration will be recognized only if the fielder has complete control over the ball and his body. For this, it will be mandatory for the players to maintain balance and stability. According to BCCI, it has often been seen that players start celebrating immediately after taking a catch, even though their balance and control is not complete.

Many times disputes arise due to this reason. This time BCCI has warned the captains that “First complete the catch, then celebrate.

According to Clause 33.3 of the Laws of the Game, a catch is deemed to have started when the ball first comes into contact with the fielder’s body. This process will be considered finished when the fielder has established complete control over both the ball and his movement.

Examples shown in the meeting

BCCI officials also showed video clips in the meeting held on March 25.

These clips included examples from the recent T20 World Cup, where fielders lost catches due to lack of complete control. In the meeting, former Indian fast bowler Javagat Srinath and elite umpire Nitin Menon gave instructions to the captains on this subject for 90 minutes and clarified the importance of the catch rule.

In the meeting, BCCI also made it clear that the impact player rule will not be removed yet. Some teams have considered it a game-changer, while some players consider it against the role of traditional cricket. Delhi Capitals captain Akshar Patel criticized this rule and said that he does not like it.

He says that this rule is challenging for all-rounder players, because now teams are giving priority to specialist players.