The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 is set to kick off on March 21 with all pomp and show. However, IPL 2025 will be played under changed rules and regulations. Reportedly, IPL 2025 will adopt the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Code of Conduct for player behavior. This decision was made during a BCCI's recent Governing Council meeting on January 12, Sunday.
IPL 2025 to follow ICC's Code of Conduct Regulations
"From now on, the ICC's sanctioned penalties will be imposed for Level 1, 2 or 3 offences. Till date, IPL had its own Code of Conduct but going forward, Playing Conditions will be followed as per ICC T20I regulations," an IPL GC member told PTI.
The 2023 IPL season witnessed a total of 10 Code of Conduct violations. The first incident involved Kolkata Knight Riders' Harshit Rana, who was charged with two Level 1 offenses during the third match against SunRisers Hyderabad. Rana was seen giving a flying-kiss send-off to Mayank Agarwal after dismissing him, a gesture deemed inappropriate. He was fined 60 per cent of his match fees for this breach of conduct.
Subsequently, several other players, including Tim David, Kieron Pollard, Virat Kohli, Sam Curran, Rasikh Salam Dar, and Ishan Kishan, were also found guilty of Level 1 offenses during their respective matches.
In a separate incident during the 47th match, Harshit Rana was again charged with a Level 1 offense for excessive celebrations against Delhi Capitals. This time, the penalty was more severe, with Rana being fined 100 per cent of his match fees and suspended for KKR's next match.
Notably, Sanju Samson, Ramandeep Singh, and Shimron Hetmyer were the final three players to be found guilty of Level 1 offenses during the season. With the introduction of revised rules for the 2025 season, some of these instances of player conduct might not be considered violations in the upcoming season.
IPL 2025 to start from March 21
BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla also revealed the starting date of IPL 2025. He confirmed that the upcoming season of the IPL will start from March 21. Moreover, Women's Premier League (WPL) 2025 venues were also disclosed. Lucknow, Mumbai, Baroda, and Bengaluru will host WPL 2025 matches.
All the 10 teams are gearing up for the IPL 2025 after bolstering their squads following the mega auction, held over two days in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which saw a total of 182 players sold for a staggering Rs 639.15 crore. All ten teams actively participated, and reinforced their squads.
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Leading up to the auction, there were extensive discussions between teams and the BCCI regarding various rules and regulations. Some teams expressed concerns about the potential impact of the mega auction, fearing the loss of players they had scouted and nurtured.
The auction was largely dominated by the two marquee sets of players, who garnered significant attention after the final list of 574 players was revealed. Several teams engaged in intense bidding wars for high-profile players, some of whom had previously enjoyed successful stints with their former franchises, despite potential acrimonious departures in the past.
Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant emerged as the most expensive player in IPL history, fetching a staggering Rs 27 crore. Shreyas Iyer (Rs 26.75 crore) and Venkatesh Iyer (Rs 23.75 crore) followed closely behind. However, several prominent players, including David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, and Shardul Thakur, went unsold, failing to attract any bids.