Dubai: In the IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders yesterday, Robin Uthappa was spotted applying saliva on the ball while fielding in the third over.

As a precautionary measure against Coronavirus, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has banned using saliva to shine the cricket ball. However, the players are allowed to use sweat as an alternative to shine the ball.

The incident took place in the third over when Uthappa dropped an easy catch after opening batsman Sunil Narine played a lofted shot in an attempt to clear the in-field.

A team can be issued up to two warnings per innings but repeated use of saliva on the ball will result in a 5-run penalty to the batting side, according to the International Cricket Council (ICC).