IPL 2025: All you need to know about the league's revamped replacement rule for 18th season

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has undergone multiple changes over the years and has come up with innovative ideas such as the ‘Impact Player’ rule. More recently, it brought back an old rule that allowed cricketers who had not played international cricket for five years to be treated as ‘Uncapped’ for auctions, which many believe was revived keeping Chennai Super Kings legend MS Dhoni in mind .

And last year, two months before the mega auction in Jeddah, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had brought back Right To Match (RTM) cards, albeit with a twist, while also establishing new rules that would penalise players staging last-minute pull-outs ahead of an IPL season.

There has also been plenty of discussion on the Player Replacement Rule for the world’s biggest T20 league, especially with the likes of Brydon Carse , Lizaad Williams and Umran Malik ruled out ahead of the upcoming season with their franchises wasting no time in naming their replacements.

So what exactly is the amended IPL player replacement rule all about? We discuss that in detail below:

Franchises get a longer window for replacing injured players

Starting with the 18th season that gets underway four days from now, franchises will be able to replace players ruled out due to a season-ending injury or illness till the 12th league match, instead of the seventh fixture.

The move comes as a boon for franchises, especially since it boosts their chances of keeping the squad fresh and injury-free close to the playoffs.

The only condition stated by the BCCI is that the player coming in as a replacement must be part of the Registered Available Player Pool (RAPP) list for that season. Their fee for the entire season based on complete availability should not be below their self-declared reserve price mentioned in the list either.

Additionally, bowlers listed as net bowlers by teams in the RAPP list will be available for other franchises to pick as injury replacements, and their fee will depend on what the injured player was set to earn.

As per BCCI rules, a doctor nominated by the board will have to confirm the injury to the player before allowing the concerned franchise to name a replacement.

The BCCI has also introduced a partial replacement rule , which allows franchises to bring in a replacement from outside its registered squad for the season on a temporary basis. This extraordinary rule, however, is applicable only if none of the wicketkeepers in a franchise’s squad are available for a game.