New IPL rule announced! U16 and U19 players to mandatorily play at least one FC match for eligibility in league

IPL previously didn’t have any eligibility criteria for U16 and U19 players.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has mandated that all under-16 and under-19 players need to play at least one first-class match to be eligible to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL). This decision was taken by the BCCI during their Annual General Meeting (AGM), which was held on Sunday, September 28, 2025.

After being signed for Rs 1.10 crore prior to IPL 2025, Rajasthan Royals (RR) star Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the youngest player to participate in the IPL. When RR purchased him, he was 13 years and 243 days old.

In the most recent IPL, Ayush Mhatre, Andre Siddharth, Musheer Khan, and Swastik Chikara were among the other Under-19 players. Other young players who have participated in the IPL before include Prayas Ray Barman for Royal Challenges Bengaluru (RCB)in 2019 at the age of 16 and Allah Ghazanfar for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR ) in the IPL 2024 at the age of 15 and 161 days.

U16 and U19 players are mandated to play first-class cricket to be included in the IPL

As per PTI reports, BCCI has mandated that any under-16 and under-19 player, if he wants to be eligible for the IPL, needs to play at least one first-class match.

There used to be no age restrictions on players in the IPL, and there were no criteria requiring players to have played domestic cricket before becoming eligible to compete. The franchises had the option of selecting the players through auction and mid-season signings as replacements, or they could choose to select the players following tryouts.

The BCCI’s decision was appreciated once it was made, saying it was a wise one to let new players participate in the IPL only after they had at least some domestic cricket experience. According to netizens, the action would guarantee that the greatest level of quality and preparedness is maintained.

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