For the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has implemented new replacement regulations to provide clarity about player substitutions. With an emphasis on season-ending injuries and wicketkeepers, the revised rules permit teams to sign temporary substitutes in certain situations.
A team usually can’t sign a player for a few games and then let him go. But wicketkeepers now have an exception thanks to the BCCI. A side may seek a temporary replacement wicketkeeper if none of the registered squad members are available for a game.
A temporary wicketkeeper will be permitted until at least one member of the original squad is well enough to play again after the BCCI investigates the matter.
There is a catch to this clause, though: if the team has already used up its allotted eight foreign players and the unavailable wicketkeeper is an international player, an Indian cricketer must be substituted.
Replacement players are not permitted to make up for a player’s partial absence during the season, under article 6.1, unless one of the following situations occurs:
(a) A franchisee should request a special exemption from the BCCI in the event that every wicketkeeper in their registered squad is unable to play in a match. Under these conditions, the BCCI would consider granting a request to add one temporary replacement wicketkeeper from outside the Franchisee’s Registered Squad to its Registered Squad until one of the professional wicketkeepers in that Registered Squad is available to play. After that, the temporary replacement wicketkeeper may no longer play for the relevant Franchisee.
“In such circumstances, the franchisee shall immediately inform the BCCI upon any of its specialist wicketkeepers becoming eligible to play after any such period of unavailability. If one of the unavailable wicket keepers in a franchisee’s Registered Squad is an Overseas player and that Franchisee has its full quota of 8 Overseas players, the Replacement Player may not be an Overseas player,” read the regulation.
- The said injury or illness occurs during or before the 12th League Match of the relevant Team in the Season;
- A doctor nominated by the BCCI confirms that the injury or illness is season ending (i.e. it means the Player will not be match fit until after the end of the Season (including the Playoffs);
- absent the injury or illness, the Player would have been available for all of the remaining Matches in the Season; and
- as a result of the injury or illness, the Player would miss the remaining League Matches in that Season.
- NB: In such circumstances, the Player who is replaced may not play for the Franchisee again in any Match during the relevant Season.
The Registered Available Player Pool (RAPP), a brand-new system, has been implemented. Only players who were unsold in the IPL auction and have not withdrew from the process can be signed by franchises as replacements. The cost of hiring a replacement player cannot be more than that of the original player. The salary of the replacement will not be included in the team’s salary cap; however, if the contract is for more than one season, it will be included in the cap for the next year. In addition, teams cannot sign any replacement players until they have received board approval.
India
