One of the most important rule changes is the removal of the one-bouncer limit per over
Logo of the Board of Cricket Control in India. AFP
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has unveiled a host of modifications to the playing conditions for its domestic competitions, some of which have already been applied in tournaments like the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
One big change in India’s premier red-ball competition will be the penalisation of a team for any unfair movement by their fielder once the ball has been bowled and is in play. In such a scenario, the batting team will be awarded five penalty runs and the ball will be declared dead.
The rule goes on to say that if unfair movement is observed, the umpire will call and signal a dead ball, informing the other on-field umpire of the reason. The umpire at the bowler’s end will then take several actions, including awarding a one-run penalty for a wide or no ball, if applicable, giving five penalty runs to the batting side and informing the captain of the fielding side about the reason for the action. This decision will then be communicated to the batters and the captain of the batting side.
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Another important rule change is the removal of the one-bouncer limit per over. This will allow a bowler to bowl up to two bouncers, a modification that was tested in the Mushtaq Ali Trophy. This will also be implemented in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
The 2023-24 Ranji Trophy will start on 5 January, featuring 19 matches in the first round across the country. There will be a total of 137 matches that will be played through the season with the final slated to begin on 10 March.
Defending champions Saurashtra will start their campaign against Jharkhand in an Elite Group A match in Rajkot from Friday, while last season’s runners-up Bengal will take on Andhra Pradesh in Visakhapatnam.
