The practice of using saliva to shine the ball is no longer permitted by bowlers according to the ICC, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This change in the rules means that players cannot use saliva to make the ball swing, but are allowed to use sweat instead. In an unexpected turn of events, experienced spinner Amit Mishra caused an unnecessary uproar during the 15th match of the 2023 IPL season.
During the first innings of the match, Lucknow Super Giants player was caught using saliva on the ball to shine it in the first delivery of the 12th over. The incident was caught on camera while the 40-year-old bowler was delivering to Virat Kohli, the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s captain. After applying saliva on the ball, the bowler sent a short delivery which Kohli guided towards the deep point for a single.
Amit Mishra has been found breaking the saliva ban rule once again, which is not a new thing for him. In the previous edition of IPL in 2021, while playing for Delhi Capitals, he had accidentally applied saliva on the ball before bowling his first delivery in a match. This had led to the on-field umpire Virender Sharma giving a warning to Delhi Capitals’ captain Rishabh Pant. However, despite such incidents, the Lucknow Super Giants purchased Mishra for ₹50 lakhs in the IPL 2023 Auction, considering his experience and skills. With 168 wickets to his name in 155 IPL games, Mishra has proved his worth in the tournament and is fourth in the all-time wicket-takers list.
