The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has added a new rule called Serious Injury Replacement to its playing conditions. This change starts in the 2025–26 domestic season. It allows teams to bring in a replacement player if someone gets a serious injury during a multi-day cricket match. The Serious Injury Replacement rule comes after problems seen in the recent Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy between India and England.
In the fourth and fifth Tests of that series, players faced big injuries. Rishabh Pant broke his foot, and Chris Woakes hurt his shoulder badly. These injuries left teams short of players. While there are already rules for concussion substitutes, nothing covered other types of serious injuries before. Now, with the Serious Injury Replacement, teams can avoid playing with fewer players in long matches.
The BCCI’s updated rules say: “If a player sustains a serious injury during the course of the relevant match, a Serious Injury Replacement may be permitted.” The injury must happen on the field and come from an outside hit, such as a fracture, deep cut, or dislocation. This keeps the rule strict and fair. Moreover, the replacement has to be like-for-like, meaning the new player should match the skills of the injured one. Teams pick these replacements from the substitutes named at the start of the match.
SERIOUS INJURY REPLACEMENTS IN INDIAN DOMESTIC CRICKET
– BCCI introduced Serious Injury Replacements in the Multi Day format in domestics in 2025-26 season after the injury for Rishabh Pant in the 4th Test. [Gaurav Gupta from TOI]
A Historic move by BCCI for the future. pic.twitter.com/eTYN2EW4cO
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) August 16, 2025
To make sure everything is done right, the match referee decides if the Serious Injury Replacement is allowed. They talk to doctors and on-field umpires first. This step helps check that the injury is real and serious. Additionally, the replacement player takes on any warnings, penalty time, or suspensions from the injured player. This way, no team gets an unfair edge.
There is a special part for wicketkeepers in the Serious Injury Replacement rule. If no reserve keeper is ready from the substitutes, teams can bring one in from outside the list. Both the injured player and the replacement get credit for playing the match. This counts in their records.
Even so, the Serious Injury Replacement rule moves forward. The BCCI has limited it to multi-day domestic tournaments for now. This includes events like the CK Nayudu Trophy for under-19s. It does not apply to white-ball games, such as the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy or Vijay Hazare Trophy. Also, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is not part of this rule yet.
The BCCI has trained umpires on the Serious Injury Replacement at a seminar in Ahmedabad. They made clear that the match referee’s choice is final, with no appeals. This helps keep games running smoothly.
Although the International Cricket Council (ICC) has not added a similar rule, they are thinking about injury replacements as of July 2025. India’s step with the Serious Injury Replacement could lead to talks on changes in Test cricket. For now, this rule aims to protect teams from big setbacks due to injuries in domestic play.
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