Indian premium league, also popularly known as IPL, has continued its journey since 2008. Currently, this is the most successful T20 cricket league globally, where you can see many professional and reputed players. IPL is a league where you can see both Indian talent as well as foreign players. From the very beginning season of IPL, many foreign players register their name for the IPL auction and are picked by franchises.
Foreign players have played a crucial role in the success of the Indian Premium League. Brendon McCullum smashed huge 158 runs in the first match of IPL season against RCB and helped make this league popular. Chris Gayle is another foreign player who smashed many hundred and destructive innings and entertained fans worldwide in IPL.
However, as IPL is a tournament that mainly focuses on Indian players, the BCCI has set a limit of foreign players for each team in the field. As per the rules made by BCCI, a maximum of 4 foreign players are allowed in an IPL team. This rule has been decided by the IPL governing council and following by franchises since the first season of the Indian Premium League.
Let’s know more details regarding the rules and regulations.
Rules and regulation on foreign players in IPL
Squad and team formation
According to the IPL committee rules and regulations, each franchise can have 25 players in their squad, and the maximum number of foreign players can be 8. That’s why most franchises love to bid high on quality foreign players to add to their team. Many foreign players also end up warming the bench every season.
When it comes to playing XI for an IPL match, each team can have a maximum of 4 overseas players in the mix, and the rest 7 players should be Indian players. A team can’t include more than 4 foreign players on the field at any time during an IPL match when it comes to substituting for a foreign player; the franchise needs to get a foreign player as a substitute or replacement. Maximum 4 substitute fields are allowed at a time.
Can teams play with less than 4 foreign players?
Yes, a team can play with less than 4 overseas players in any IPL match if necessary. This is usually a rare occurrence where fans have witnessed such matches where less than 4 foreign have played. The first time it happened in the inaugural season when Rajasthan Royals went with three foreign players against Kings XI Punjab (currently known as Punjab Kings). Mumbai Indians also did the same in 2010 against Rajasthan Royals. In 2011 Kolkata Knight riders fielded with just 2 foreign players against Chennai super kings.
Have more than 4 overseas players ever been allowed in the IPL game?
No! In the 13 years of IPL history, more than 4 foreign players have never been allowed in any IPL game. But yes, in Champions league 2011, Mumbai Indians were allowed to field with 5 foreign players due to plenty of injury cases.
What is the current verdict on more than 4 overseas players in IPL?
Currently, many franchises have worried regarding their team combination because of the restriction of the 4 players rule, and some franchisees are happy with this rule. There have been rumors that franchisees want to change this rule, but there is no official confirmation regarding this rule. Cricket experts believe the inclusion of more foreign players can bring balance to teams. However, till now, it is not confirmed by BCCI and IPL council committee board.
