The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has made changes to its playing conditions for the 2025-26 domestic season, allowing teams to use injury replacements in multi-day tournaments. However, according to a Cricbuzz report, this provision will not be applicable to the Vijay Hazare Trophy (50-over format) or the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (T20 format).
The report mentioned that the Indian cricket board has added this provision under a new subheading, “Serious Injury Replacement,” in the Playing Conditions for the upcoming season. This rule will enable teams to field a like-for-like replacement in case of a serious injury.
“If a player sustains a serious injury during the course of the relevant match, a Serious Injury Replacement may be permitted in the following circumstances. The serious injury must have been sustained during play and within the playing area described in clause,” the rule in the Playing Conditions said (via Cricbuzz).
Moreover, the “Serious Injury Replacement” player will carry forward any penalty time, warnings, or suspensions that had been imposed on the player being replaced.
BCCI Introduces New Rule Following Rishabh Pant’s Injury In Old Trafford Test
The introduction of the new injury replacement rule came just weeks after Rishabh Pant sustained a toe fracture on the opening day of the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford. The 27-year-old was forced to retire hurt but managed to resume batting the following day.
Despite his return with the bat, the injury was serious enough to keep him away from wicketkeeping duties for the remainder of the match. India, however, avoided reliance on Pant’s batting in the second innings as centuries from Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar ensured a hard-fought draw on the final day.
Pant was later ruled out of the fifth and final Test at The Oval, and there remains uncertainty regarding the timeline of his comeback.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.