The Board of Control for Cricket in India has rolled out a fresh set of regulations ahead of the 2026 Indian Premier League season, which gets underway on March 28. Among the most significant changes is a blanket ban on practice sessions on match days, a move that signals the board’s intent to bring tighter operational control across all ten franchises.
The tournament opens with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru hosting Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. With less than a week to go before the first ball is bowled, teams are now adjusting to a rulebook that looks noticeably different from previous seasons.
No Practice on Match Days
The centerpiece of the new guidelines is the prohibition on matchday training. Teams will no longer be permitted to hold any form of practice session on the day of their game. This includes fitness tests, which have also been ruled out on match days. The BCCI’s reasoning is straightforward: preserving the pitch and playing surface for the actual contest.
At Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, the board has put in place a specific arrangement to manage training on non-match days. Each team will be allotted two practice wickets, placed on either side of the main square.
Crucially, teams are not allowed to use the wickets assigned to their opponents, even when those wickets are empty. The BCCI has made this point explicitly clear: if one team wraps up its practice early, the other side still cannot move in and use the vacated space. Both sets of wickets remain the exclusive territory of the assigned team throughout the session.
Open nets during practice have also been banned under the new framework. Players have additionally been advised to avoid sitting close to the LED boards around the ground and to refrain from hitting balls in that direction, which points to a broader effort to protect both players and broadcast infrastructure.
Stricter Dressing Room and Support Staff Rules
Access to dressing rooms is now more restricted than before. On practice days, only accredited staff members will be allowed inside the dressing room and on the field of play. On match days, each team is permitted to have a maximum of 12 support staff members present on the field, and a team doctor must be included in that count.
For extended support staff such as throw-down specialists and net bowlers, franchises must submit a list to the BCCI for approval before those individuals can receive non-match day accreditations. This adds a layer of administrative process that teams will need to plan for well in advance, particularly in the early stages of the tournament.
All staff members on the field are required to carry their accreditation cards at all times. Failure to do so will result in a fine, which underlines that these rules are not merely advisory. The board appears committed to enforcing them consistently.
Family Members and Travel Arrangements
The regulations also bring notable changes for players’ families. On practice days, family members and friends are not allowed on the field or inside the dressing room. Instead, they must watch training from designated hospitality areas. They are also not permitted to travel on the team bus, which means separate transport arrangements need to be made for them.
These restrictions represent a conscious effort to draw clearer boundaries between the professional environment of a training session and the personal lives of players. While families remain welcome at the ground, their access has been meaningfully reduced compared to what was permitted in earlier editions of the tournament.
Furthermore, any change to a player’s jersey number must be communicated to the BCCI at least 24 hours before the start of the match. This is a procedural update, but one that teams will need to factor into their pre-match planning.
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Presentation Ceremony and Broadcast Rules
The guidelines extend to post-match conduct as well. During the presentation ceremony, players are not allowed to wear sleeveless jerseys or floppy hats. The BCCI has set up a warning system for violations: a first offence results in a warning, while a second offence carries a financial penalty.
On the broadcast side, the Orange Cap holder and the Purple Cap holder are required to wear their respective caps during at least the first two overs of their team’s innings, so that the broadcast can capture the visual. The BCCI’s note on this reads clearly: if players do not wear the caps, they are requested to wear them for the first two overs while the cameras pick up the shot.
What It Means for IPL 2026
Taken together, these changes reflect a BCCI that is moving towards a more structured and professionally managed tournament environment. The matchday practice ban in particular is likely to reshape how coaching staff plan their preparation, since the final on-ground session before a game has traditionally been a key part of a team’s routine.
With IPL 2026 beginning in just days, franchises are working through these adjustments quickly. How smoothly the new rules are implemented in the opening week will be closely watched by players, team management, and fans alike.
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