IPL 2025: How use of saliva has helped bowlers immensely? Gujarat Titans pacer Prasidh Krishna explains

The reintroduction of the use of saliva has been helpful for the bowlers, especially the pacers, in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), felt Gujarat Titans fast bowler Prasidh Krishna. The use of saliva to shine the cricket ball was first banned during the COVID-19 years by the International Cricket Council (ICC), later adopted by the IPL.

With things back to normal, the BCCI decided to lift the saliva ban for IPL 2025, a decision which has brought a smile to a lot of bowlers. In fact, IPL is the first major franchise league to lift the saliva ban.

According to Krishna, the impact of saliva has been able to generate a chain reaction for the pace bowlers, especially in the death overs. As a result, six bowlers in the top 10 of the Purple Cap list are pacers.

“It has played a bit of a part because if you look at what the ball does with the saliva on it, even if it means that one out of the 120 balls tears in a little more, that means you get a wicket that’s an extra dot ball," Krishna told India Today at the JioStar press room.

“And if that happens at a crucial stage when the right batsman gets out, that means you slow down the run rate and you get the momentum back. So, it has a chain reaction kind of a thing. And it definitely helped the bowlers,” explained the Gujarat Titans pacer.

Prasidh Krishna in IPL 2025

Playing for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025, Krishna seems to have got his mojo back. The India pacer is sitting second in the Purple Cap list with 16 wickets, behind Josh Hazlewood, who has 18. Krishna's teammate Mohammed Siraj is currently placed 10th with 12 wickets.

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