India adds ‘serious injury sub’ rule in cricket 🏏

KARACHI 🙁 The COW News Digital)  – The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has approved the use of “serious injury replacements” in multi-day matches for the upcoming 2025-26 domestic season, Indian media reported on Saturday.

The rule, introduced in the wake of the recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy—where India’s Rishabh Pant and England’s Chris Woakes played despite injuries—will allow a like-for-like substitute if a player suffers a serious on-field injury.

According to the BCCI’s new playing conditions, the injury must be sustained within the playing area during the match and result from an external blow leading to a fracture, deep cut, dislocation, or similar condition rendering the player unavailable for the remainder of the game.

The on-field umpires will have the final authority to approve such a substitution, with the option to consult the BCCI match referee or the ground’s medical officer.

This move mirrors the concussion substitute rule introduced in international cricket in 2019, extending the scope to serious injuries in domestic multi-day fixtures.