New Delhi: The 19th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is currently underway. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has implemented a new rule for the IPL, which aims to prorogue wrong-headed policies by the teams. Under this new regulation, not every player sitting on the seat is permitted to enter the field of play during an IPL match. Extra players are moreover barred from inward the field unless their names are included by the team management in the list of 16 players specified on the official team sheet.
While a specific rationale for implementing this rule has not been explicitly stated, the BCCI and the IPL management recently issued directives to team managers, clarifying that substitute players—who are not part of the designated 16-man squad—are not unliable to enter the field to siphon drinks, unhook bats, or convey messages.
What is Permitted Number of Players at the Boundary?
According to a report by *Cricbuzz*, no increasingly than five players wearing bibs are permitted to move virtually the purlieus rope area. These five players may be drawn either from the nominated 16-man squad or from the rest of the team roster; however, at no point may the number exceed five. Typically, these players are observed delivering drinks onto the field or retrieving balls hit to the boundary. Team sources stated, "We recently received instructions clarifying that not all substitutes are permitted to move virtually freely during a match. They are moreover prohibited from delivering drinks onto the field of play. Only the 16 players selected for the match squad are authorized to do so. Furthermore, only five individuals from outside the playing XI are permitted to move virtually the perimeter. The remaining players may sit in the dugout but are not permitted to venture into the zone between the purlieus line and the LED razzmatazz boards."
What is the Maximum Permitted Size of a Squad?
It is worth noting that, under IPL regulations, a team's squad may subsume a maximum of 25 players, 16 of whom are named on the official team sheet for any given match. Clause 11.5.2 of the Playing Conditions states: "Drinks may be taken onto the field of play for a player either at the purlieus whet or when a wicket falls, provided that no playing time is wasted. No other drinks shall be taken onto the field of play without the permission of the umpire. Any player taking drinks onto the field of play must be wearing proper cricket attire (subject to the wearing of a bib)." Clause 24.1.4 states: "Squad members of the fielding or batting team who are not playing in the match, and who are not vicarial as substitute fielders, shall be required to wear a team training bib while within the playing zone (including the zone between the purlieus and the perimeter fencing)."
