The Board of Control for Cricket in India established new regulations that control team net practice activities on cricket fields three weeks before Indian Premier League 2026. The tournament established informal training patterns before 2025 but later adopted structured training protocols that increased training session efficiency and professional standards.

The BCCI issued the latest notice on March 12, which established strict rules for teams and detailed their upcoming season penalties. The Indian Premier League 2026 schedule already announced its first two weeks of matches, which will be released in multiple parts because of election obligations.

Net practice has always played a crucial role in team preparation in every form of cricket, whether in the Indian Premier League, the SA20, or international matches. In 2025, however, the BCCI tightened its regulations by limiting each team to a maximum of seven practice sessions before their first match of the season.

The new guideline prevents teams from using open net sessions while the updated protocol prohibits them from conducting practice sessions at the main square during their four practice days before their first home match which aims to keep the playing field in optimal condition. 

The directive exists mainly to protect pitch quality, but one additional fact exists. The Indian league schedule forces venues to complete their domestic season before the league starts, which results in damaged playing surfaces that need restoration because they have already been used.

The new guideline from CricBuzz official report introduces a conflict-resolution system together with strict rules that teams must follow. The teams must use their designated practice area because they cannot practice on the pitch that has been used by their opponent during the net session. Fresh nets need to be set up by ground staff whenever another team uses the field for their practice session.

The protocol establishes a specific duration which net practice sessions must complete. Teams require floodlight training access but must complete their net practice within a three and a half hour limit.

The governing body established an alternative solution because the BCCI banned practice on the main square for most situations. The state association must provide another practice ground to a franchise without charging the team when the franchise requests it.

The teams will get access to two practice area nets and one main square net for range-hitting drills on March 16 before their initial match of the season. The home team will choose its desired practice time first before the visiting team can select its time. The BCCI will intervene to resolve practice schedule disputes which IPL team managers and ground authorities cannot resolve. The board will provide each team with two two-hour practice sessions if both parties fail to reach an agreement. 

BCCI will establish the practice schedule after both teams submit their requests if the teams cannot reach a resolution. The official report stated that The most likely outcome will be two separate two-hour slots so each team receives similar playing conditions with exclusive use of the ground. according to CricBuzz.

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Teams will still be allowed to perform range-hitting drills freely during their scheduled training periods. The ground staff will create one wicket for each team at both ends of the main square which extends to its maximum width.

Franchises can utilize these wickets for range hitting and bowling run-throughs and run-up practice and throwdowns and all other training activities. The home team will also receive first preference for range-hitting drills during the opening 90 minutes of the practice window.

The BCCI established the no-shared-nets regulation to create equal playing conditions that all teams would experience during their matches. The Indian Premier League 2026 faces pitch deterioration problems because of its existing domestic match schedule and the new net practice prohibition, which will help preserve better pitch conditions throughout the tournament. 

The rule will support competitive fairness because teams must establish new practice nets. The rule prevents teams from using extra wickets which their opponents left behind after completing their practice session.