3 new cricket laws 2025: Rule changes explained

Every sport goes through a process of evolution. Gameplays and tactics change, loopholes are exploited, and commercial scenarios mimic current fan interest. As a result, the governing bodies have to keep up with the times and bring about necessary rule changes.

Cricket goes through the same process as outlined above, but perhaps with more changes than any other major sport due to its intricacies. The governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), has tasked its cricket committee to review the implementation of rules and recommend necessary changes every year.

The Men's Cricket Committee, headed by former India captain Sourav Ganguly, recommended a host of rule changes in 2025. Introduction of stop clocks in Tests, number of balls to be used for every ODI innings, ban on 'bunny hop' boundary catches, fairer concussion protocols, new way to determine wide balls, among others, are some of the rule changes brought about by the ICC.

Let us look at the three key rule changes that were introduced in 2025:

1. Ban on 'Bunny Hop' Boundary Catches

Boundary catches, where the fielder tosses the ball up in order to avoid contact with it and the boundary line at the same time, look spectacular when executed perfectly. This particular method of boundary catching has its own variants. The ICC has banned one of those, which is popularly known as 'bunny hop'.

The 'bunny hop' method of catching occurs when the fielder on the boundary line swats the ball up, goes outside the playing area, jumps up to swat the ball inside the playing area again or above him without coming in contact with the ground at the same time as touching the ball, and finally going back to the playing area and catching the ball.

The key element to note is that the ball comes in contact with the fielder when they are outside the playing area, though not in contact with the ground.

The ICC reviewed the fairness, or lack of it, of this form of catching as the ball touches the fielder beyond the boundary line. And so, the cricket committee concluded to ban this type of catching.

Mind you, if the fielder is inside the playing area on the boundary line and swats or tosses the ball up to catch it back, that would still count as a legal catch. Remember Suryakumar Yadav's famous boundary line catch to dismiss David Miller in the final over of the T20 World Cup 2024? That method is still valid.

2. Number of balls in use per ODI innings

The 50-over format has undergone a number of rule changes over the years. When it comes to the balls, only one was used in an innings for decades. As a consequence, the balls became softer and dirtier towards the fag end of an innings. Significantly, for the bowlers, they reverse swung to a large extent.

In 2011, the ICC amended the ball usage rule, bringing in two new balls per innings to be used in alternate overs. As a result, each ball could be used for a maximum of 25 overs per innings as opposed to 50 overs originally. As the ball did not get old enough for reverse swing to come into effect, the balance of the game shifted further in favour of the batters.

To counter that to some extent, the ICC has brought about a partial change to the rule. From July 2025 onwards, two balls will still be used per ODI innings, but after the 34th over, the fielding team will get a chance to decide which one of the two to use for the remaining 16 overs. This way, the ball chosen to last the innings will be 33 overs old, enhancing the probability of reverse swing in the death overs.

3. Concussion Protocols

The concussion protocol rule came into the limelight early in 2025 when India replaced Shivam Dube with Harshit Rana in the fourth T20I against England in Pune. Dube, who scored 53 runs off 34 balls, was hit on the helmet in the final over of the first innings. 

He reported experiencing a concussion later on and was replaced by Rana, who made his debut. Rana was highly effective with the ball as he finished with 3/33, contributing immensely to India's 15-run victory.

In the aftermath, a controversy erupted as Rana was not regarded as a like-for-like replacement for Dube, considering the latter had finished his batting duty. The England skipper Jos Buttler, too, criticised the decision.

To avoid such instances in the future, the cricket committee recommended naming of substitutes by the teams before the match for each role - one wicketkeeper, one batter, one allrounder, one seam bowler, and one spin bowler. Thus, the likelihood of exploiting the loophole in the rule is minimised to a great extent.