The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has sent a stern warning to all IPL team captains concerning the catches to be taken ahead of the upcoming edition. The sides were clarified that, while taking a catch, control over both the ball and the body needs to be established before celebrating. While the rule isn't a new one, the governing body intends to enforce it with stricter applications for the current season. During a meeting on Wednesday evening, several clips of catches were displayed before the captains. It was highlighted that few of them would be called as unlawful due to the inadequate control over the body and the ball over the time taken by the fielder to secure it. As stated in Clause 33.3 and the playing conditions on Page 64: "The act of making a catch shall start from the time when the ball first comes into contact with a fielder's person and shall end when a fielder obtains complete control over both the ball and his own movement." Officials stated that the slightest of movements to regain stability while catching the ball would be considered illegal. They also ensured the players would not be celebrated after the catch until both elements are confirmed to be in control. The point was well discussed for the full 90 minutes by match referee Javagal Srinath and umpire Nitin Menon and it ensured that all captains were briefed about the ruling. Also Read | Navdeep Saini Replaces Injured Harshit Rana in KKR Squad for IPL 2026 Impact Player Rule to Continue, No Reviews Planned The BCCI has confirmed the continuation of the impact player rule for the 2026 edition of the IPL along with an additional season. Both the captains and team managers were also given clarification that there would be no immediate plans to review the rule. The rule has been quite talked about among the players since its introduction in 2023 with several quarters of the cricketing fraternity believing it is holding back the all-rounders from getting opportunities in the game. Axar Patel recently remarked on the rule: "I don't like this rule, honestly, because I am an all-rounder. Earlier, you would pick an allrounder for batting and bowling. Because of this rule, the team management goes for a particular batsman or bowler, thinking 'Why do we need an allrounder?" The opinions have been that the rule needs to stop at some stage for the development of all-rounders to continue but BCCI has decided to extend the duration of its use at least for now. A franchise representative stated who was present at Wednesday's meeting: "It was discussed, and it was made clear to all of us that the Impact Player rule is here to stay for at least two more seasons." As IPL 2026 is just around the corner all the sides will now have to be aware of both the rules along with their preparations for the impending season.