New Delhi: The concussion substitute rule has once again raised eyebrows and this time an incident in the Indian domestic circuit has put the much-debated rule in the spotlight. In the ongoing Ranji Trophy semi-final match between Gujarat and Kerala at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat spin bowler Ravi Bishnoi was substituted off the field after suffering a concussion on Thursday (February 19).
The player, who shifted bases from Rajasthan to Gujarat in June 2023, was hit by a blow on his head while attempting to stop the ball in Kerala’s first innings on Wednesday.
Gujarat named Hemang Patel as a concussion replacement for Bishnoi for the remaining part of the match, which had two more days of action left. Hemang, a medium pacer, bats in the lower middle order, usually where Bishnoi comes to bat. Interestingly, Hemang was promoted to bat at No.5 after the dismissal of Gujarat opener Priyank Panchal, who scored an excellent century (148) in the first innings.
Hemang was dismissed for 27 from 41 balls after being caught being substitute efforts Shoun Roger off Nidheesh MD’s bowling in the 101st over. While Hemang walked in the crease on Thursday, Kerala spinner Jalaj Saxena went to the on-field umpire to question the substitution replacement, as reported by Sportstar.
Calls for clarity and consistency in cricket’s Concussion Rules
The Playing conditions of BCCI for multi-day mention that a team can request for a like-for-like replacement for the player who has sustained the concussion. The replacement, in all circumstances, shall be availed from the nominated list of substitutes, which shall be presented by the team captain before the toss.
Hemang was among the list with the other nominated players for Gujarat were – Umang Kumar (batter), Het Patel (wicketkeeper-batter) and Kshitij Patel (batter). As the remaining three options were batters, Gujarat only had Hemang as the only plausible choice. This clearly shows a massive grey area in the concussion-sub rule which needs more clarity. While Hemang is a bowler, he is not a spinner and hence didn’t qualify as a like-for-like replacement.
Under the clause 1.2.7.3 of BCCI Playing Conditions:
“The BCCI Match Referee should ordinarily approve a Concussion Replacement
Request if the replacement is a like-for-like player whose inclusion will not excessively
advantage his team for the remainder of the match.”
Kerala have been shafted, how is Hemang Patel a like-for-like replacement to Ravi Bishnoi, Patel has multiple T20 fifties and is batting 5, Bishnoi bats at 9-10 on a good day…#RanjiTrophy #RanjiTrophy2025 #JalajSaxena #RaviBishnoi #KeralavsGujarat
Kerala have been shafted, how is Hemang Patel a like-for-like replacement to Ravi Bishnoi, Patel has multiple T20 fifties and is batting 5, Bishnoi bats at 9-10 on a good day…#RanjiTrophy #RanjiTrophy2025 #JalajSaxena #RaviBishnoi #KeralavsGujarat
— Adnan Mohammed (@adnanm28_) February 20, 2025
The concussion substitute change from Gujarat once again led to debate over the application of the rule, which has a lot of complexity involved in it. The rule is turning out to be unclear with every time a team attempts to avail it, the more level of astonishment the cricket fraternity goes through.
This will once again bring back the debate of how the Indian men’s team fell under scrutiny after pace bowler Harshit Rana was named injury replacement for all-rounder Shivam Dube during the fourth T20 International match in Pune.
The England team had then foul cried with skipper Jos Buttler, respecting the match referee’s decision, but at the same time dismissing the replacement made by India in the context of like-for-like.
Cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra then said that the rule needs to have better clarity with the Indian team can be at the receiving end someday.
“Asking these questions now because India could be at the receiving end in the future…say in an ICC knockout game…and instead of crying foul then..it’s best to make some noise now,” Chopra wrote on his X handle.
Gujarat trailed by 61 runs after 137 overs with Jaymeet Patel and Siddarth Desai fighting to take a first-innings lead at the point of writing this report.
The Ranji Trophy semi-final between Gujarat and Kerala highlighted a contentious issue within cricket’s concussion substitute rule. Gujarat replaced injured spinner Ravi Bishnoi with Hemang Patel, a medium-pacer and middle-order batsman, sparking debate over the “like-for-like” replacement clause. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
