To tweak the impact player regulation for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, BCCI allows two bouncers each.

Player guidelines for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Award

Before the toss, teams in India’s domestic T20 event must choose their starting XI and four replacement players.

The BCCI also intends to create regulations governing Indian cricketers’ participation in international T20 tournaments.

Three modifications will take effect in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), India’s domestic T20 competition: two bouncers per over; minor adjustments to the Impact Player rule, which was tested last season. The Impact Player can now be utilized anytime during the game, much like in the IPL this year. Previously, in SMAT, it could only be employed before the 14th over of an innings.

The other change is that, unlike the IPL, where captains carried two team sheets for the coin flip and finalized the XI after the toss, clubs must announce their starting lineups and four substitute players before the toss. The reason why bowlers are permitted to bowl two bouncers in an over is “to balance the contest between bat and ball,” according to a BCCI release following its 19th Apex Council meeting, which was held in Mumbai on Friday. This year’s T20 competition will occur from October 16 to November 6, following the Irani Cup and before the Vijay Hazare Trophy (a 50-over competition). India’s participation in the forthcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou in September, for both men’s and women’s teams, was also reaffirmed during the Apex Council meeting. According to the press release, “BCCI will choose players from among those not competing in the World Cup to play in the Asian Games” because the Asian Games schedule conflicts with the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2023.

The BCCI also intends to create regulations governing Indian cricketers’ participation in international T20 tournaments. Only cricketers who have retired from all forms of Indian cricket are currently allowed to play in foreign leagues; however, several retired cricketers have recently chosen to play abroad. A two-pronged plan to renovate the stadiums in India was also put out. The second part of the improvement plan will focus on the remaining venues, while the grounds hosting the ODI World Cup matches would receive immediate treatment.

BCCI will test a new bouncer law for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The BCCI top brass has decided to legalize using two bouncers each in the next Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 competition to restore a fair balance between the bat and the ball in its premier National T20 Cup. Attacks will now have the ability to push the batters back with an extra bouncer every over as a result of the enormous bats and flat wickets that have contributed to the run-scoring in the SMAT reaching extremely high levels, mainly when domestic powerhouses take on their inexperienced and struggling rivals.

Since the previous rule gave the batter a better view into a bowler’s mindset and plans knowing the one bouncer has already been employed, the extra bouncer in the over could make the difference between the bowler being able to assert control and leash on scoring or facing the brunt of the batter. The SMAT will eliminate that luxury for the batters, and the tactic may also help to eradicate mechanical weaknesses against bouncers and hard-length bowling in young Indian batters generally. These batters are more prepared to handle the short-pitched bowling when they move on to the IPL and top-level cricket.

In SMAT, BCCI will add two bouncers every over. In a media release, the BCCI announced that it had made one more crucial adjustment to the rules governing the senior domestic T20 competition in India. “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 board claimed. Before being used in the IPL 2023, the BCCI has chosen to expand the “Impact Player” tested in the previous SMAT season. The SMAT 2023–24, played from October 16 to November 6, will strictly follow the tactical substitution regulation from the IPL.

Teams will now have the option to bring the “Impact Player” from the start or at any moment during the innings they choose, unlike the previous season when they could only use him before the 14th over of an innings.

“BCCI shall continue with the concept of Impact Player in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in the next season with two variations from previous season and the Indian Premier League,” the board declared.

1. Before the toss, each team must choose it’s starting lineup and four replacements; and
2. Either team may utilize the Impact Player at any point during the game. Before the 14th over of an inning, a club could only deploy the Impact Player during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy season.