Bhuvneshwar Kumar acknowledges that he was unaware that the saliva prohibition had been lifted.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, a speedster for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), candidly said that he was unaware that the ban had been lifted. Although he was unsure if it would be beneficial, the right-arm bowler pledged to give it a go in RCB’s upcoming match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Friday, April 18, at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Before the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) overturned the ban on using saliva to shine the cricket ball. After the COVID-19 outbreak, the IPL became the first major cricket league to reinstate the practice.

After the practice was temporarily outlawed in May 2020 as a Covid-19 precaution and then permanently outlawed in September 2022, bowlers like Mohammed Shami urged the ICC to bring it back. The Indian Cricket Board lifted the restriction, enabling bowlers to utilise reverse swing as a tactic to counter the hard-hitting batters in the IPL, but the ICC has not given up.

“I didn’t realise I could use saliva.” I was unaware that I needed to utilise it until the staff informed me yesterday. India Today cited Bhuvneshwar as stating, “I’m not sure if it will help or not, but now that I remember, I will definitely put some saliva in tomorrow’s match and see if it helps or not.”

The roles that Hazlewood and I play vary from game to game: Bhuvneshwar Kumar 

With the Meerut native partnering with Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood, RCB has a potent new-ball attack at their disposal. According to the Uttar Pradesh seamer, their roles vary from match to match, but their primary goal is to take wickets and contribute to the team’s success.

“The role cannot be established before to the game. Hazlewood and I typically bowl in the end and with the new ball, if you look at our bowling. Although our job is very standard, it varies from match to match. It depends on the team’s batting performance, our bowling in the opening overs, and other factors. However, he acknowledged that as seasoned bowlers, we both want to win for the team and take wickets.