The IPL 2025 season has brought with it a wave of changes some obvious, some subtle. But one particular tweak has bowlers across the league breathing a sigh of relief the lifting of the saliva ban. For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, bowlers are legally allowed to apply saliva on the cricket ball, and Mohammed Siraj is here for it. The Gujarat Titans (GT) pacer has voiced what many bowlers have been feeling the return of saliva means the return of swing, precision, and most importantly, a fairer contest between bat and ball.
Impact of the Saliva Ban
When COVID-19 protocols came in, the use of saliva was outlawed for good reason. But the unintended consequence? Bowlers lost their edge. The ball didn’t swing as much. Seamers became cannon fodder. Matches became batter-dominated run-fests.
Swing bowling is part science, part skill. Saliva, when applied strategically, helps in maintaining one side of the ball shinier than the other. This contrast in surfaces allows the ball to swing in the air a bowler’s secret weapon.
Bowlers had to turn to sweat (which isn’t quite the same), reverse swing tactics, and variations in pace. But nothing quite replicates the good shine that saliva provides. Siraj himself mentioned how during the ban, “the ball comes onto the bat easily.”
Siraj’s Take On the Rule Change
Siraj couldn’t have put it more clearly: “100 percent. If the ball tails a bit, it is a wicket.” It’s not just about movement it’s about how that movement translates to dismissals. In the slower wickets of Hyderabad, Siraj’s accuracy combined with the natural tailing movement created havoc. Batters were trapped plumb or cleaned up a sight we’ve sorely missed in T20 cricket.
Speaking after the match, Siraj said, “I am enjoying. I had a rest, so I was working on my bowling, my fitness and my mentality. My body is fresh, so I am enjoying my bowling. (On if he is enjoying the rule of applying saliva on the ball) 100 per cent. If the ball tails a bit, it is a wicket. When there is no saliva, the ball comes onto the bat easily. This rule makes it much better for the bowlers, with lbw and bowled now a chance (for the bowlers). The wicket is slow. I tried to swing it, but it did not happen. The more you attack the stumps, the better it is. It is a good total, but maybe ten runs more.”
Mohammed Siraj’s Stunning Return
During the clash between Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mohammed Siraj produced a masterclass in pace bowling. With a fiery spell of 4/17 in four overs, he rattled the SRH batting line-up and registered his career-best figures in the IPL. He didn’t just stop at numbers his impact was visible in the way he tore through the top and lower order, removing Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Aniket Varma, and Simarjeet Singh.
SRH vs GT: Match Breakdown
SRH stumbled to just 45/2 in the first six overs. The top order, including Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, couldn’t withstand the early assault. Nitish Kumar Reddy (31) and Heinrich Klaasen (27) tried their best to build a platform. Captain Pat Cummins chipped in with a brisk 22*, but SRH could only muster 152/8.
Siraj’s stellar four-wicket haul, Siraj joined the elite club of Indian pacers with 100+ IPL wickets becoming the 12th Indian to do so. Krishna’s 2/25 added pressure from the other end, allowing Siraj to attack more freely. Sai Kishore’s spinner chipped in with 2/24, stifling the SRH middle order during crucial overs.
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