Rules & Regulations — Livingston Tennis Ball Cricket

General Rules and Regulations

All the games in the tournament will have a max of 14 overs per innings. Only the repeat league matches (7th and 8th of each team) will be 12 overs per innings to manage the early sunset in September.
TBC SPL will have 1 game played on Friday and 1 game on Sunday.
Games need to start by 5:00PM. The toss and the decision to bat or bowl should be made by 4:45pm.
If not a single player from the team is available to do a toss between allotted time, then the team whose player is present wins the toss automatically.
Captains are responsible to start the game on time with whatever players they have available from the team, they cannot wait until all their players arrive.
Captains must declare the playing 10 for the weekend games by 15 mins before the start of the game, including the substitute player's name that the team is going to use for the game.
In each team every player of the 14-member squad must play a minimum of 4 games in the league round for the team to qualify for finals. Finals will not have any player restriction rules.
If a game gets washed out, it will count towards the minimum number of games played by the player. For more substitute rules, please review the Player Substitutions section.
Ball hitting branches or leaves will be deemed as NOT OUT. This will be the main umpire’s decision whether the ball hits the branch or leaves or not and the teams will not be able to challenge the decision.
The white crease line belongs to the umpire on both striker and non-striker end. The batsmen must be inside the white line all the time when the ball is in play. If on the line, then it is OUT.
If someone catches the ball inside the canal, then it’s 4 runs and NOT OUT.

Behind-the-Stumps Declare Runs

All declare runs are determined by the point of first contact with the white rope behind the stumps.

1 Run (Strike Changes): The ball rolls over the rope before reaching the 2-run marker.
2 Runs (Strike Stays): The ball rolls over the rope between the 2-run marker and the canal. The same batsman retains the strike (unless it is the end of the over).
2 Runs (Direct Hit): The ball lands directly on the fly between the 1-run and 2-run markers.
4 Runs (Direct Hit): The ball lands directly on the fly between the 2-run marker and the canal.

In the situation where we have a batsman caught out then the new batsman will always take the strike for the next ball unless it is the last ball of the over.
No rules can be changed in the middle of the game but if deemed necessary EC holds the right to change the rules for the rest of the un-played games of the tournament.
Qualifiers and finals are considered as play-off games from a rules perspective.
TBC SPL will NOT have any rain days for League games. The qualifier and final will have as many rain days as needed.
NRR (Net Run Rate) will be calculated up to 2 decimal points for the entire tournament.

Player Safety

Abdo guards are highly recommended to be worn.
Runners will be allowed for all injured players who cannot run, whether the injury has happened before the game or while playing the game does not matter, few exceptions to the rules as mentioned below:
A player getting tired will not be considered as an injury.
A player running slow will not be considered as an injury.
Any injury that happened before the current game being played should be informed to the umpires and opposite captains before the start of the game; the player will get the runner for batting, only if the player does not bowl in the game (first inning or second inning).
An injured player who cannot run while batting and has taken the runner, will NOT be allowed to bowl in that match.
A bowler bowling in the first innings will NOT get a runner while batting unless he is injured in the same game.
Wicket keepers standing up near the stumps are recommended to wear a helmet.
Proper cricketing shoes are compulsory for each player. The umpire has a right to refuse a player without proper shoes.

Drink Breaks

All games will have 1 drink break of 5 mins per innings i.e., at the end of the 7th over.
Depending on the condition on the field, team captains and umpires can decide to take additional breaks if we have unbearable hot and humid conditions.
All games will have a mid-innings break of 10 mins.
Player(s) may be allowed to have drinks in natural breaks during the game — when a wicket falls, injury time, lost ball etc. however this is at the umpire’s discretion and permission.

Umpires

TBC SPL will try to have neutral umpires for all the games.
If only one umpire is available to do the whole game and a second umpire is available for partial game, then the umpire who is available for the whole game will be allowed to stay as Main Umpire for the entire game to maintain the consistency.
Umpires need to refrain from giving their own suggestions or advice to the players.
An umpire’s decisions will be the final decision; both the umpires if needed can discuss and arrive at a decision as well.
Stumping, striker end runouts, waist, and shoulder high no balls are the only decisions that a leg umpire can make.
At any time except for the batting side runout or stumping, the main umpire has the authority to overturn the leg umpire’s decision.

No Balls

Front foot completely out of the front line of the crease will be a NO ball, no warning will be given in this case.
Above waist high full toss ball will be a NO ball; the umpire will make the best guessed decision based on the original stance of the batsman who has come down the wicket and hit the ball above the waist and then give a NO ball. This will again be an umpire’s decision and players will not be able to challenge it.
1 short pitch ball above the shoulder for an over will be allowed; the second short pitch ball of the over will be a NO ball.
A ball pitching outside the pitch will be a NO ball and not a dead ball.
A batsman will be deemed out if the ball hits DIRECTLY TO the stumps even if the ball goes from above the waist.
In case of point (e) above, if the ball hits bat or any part of the body first above waist and then hits the stumps then it’s a NO ball. Basically, if the impact is above waist, then it’s a NO ball. If there is no impact and the ball hits directly to the stumps, then it’s out.

Beamer Rule (effective immediately)

A beamer is a full toss that passes the batter above waist height.
Every beamer is automatically a NO ball.
If the umpire believes the delivery created a real risk of injury, the bowler will receive a first and final warning for that innings.
Any subsequent dangerous beamer by the same bowler in the same innings will result in the bowler not being allowed to bowl for the remainder of that innings.

Wides

On the line will NOT be considered as a wide ball; this will be the umpire’s decision and players will not be able to challenge it.
Leg side ball without touching the batsman will be a wide ball.
A ball going above the stumps on the leg side of the batsman is not a wide; this will again be the umpire’s decision and players will not be able to challenge it.
A ball pitching on the edge of the pitch and crossing the wide line will be a wide and not a dead ball.

Leg Byes and LBW

TBC SPL will NOT have LBW.
No runs for leg byes.
For bat and pad it will be considered as bat and the batsman can run for it. If the ball hits the pad first then it’s a dead ball (legal delivery).

Power Plays

There will be 2 powerplays per innings.

For 14 overs game (4 overs powerplay)

Overs 1–2 is a mandatory bowling power-play.
The second power play, which is a batting powerplay, will also be a 2 over powerplay and can be taken anytime starting from over no. 3 to 10, and the 11th over is the mandatory start of powerplay if the batting team does not take it till the end of the 10th over.

For 12 overs game (3 overs powerplay)

Overs 1–2 is a mandatory bowling power-play.
The second power play, which is a batting powerplay, will also be a 1 over powerplay and can be taken anytime starting from over no. 3 to 9, and the 10th over is the mandatory start of powerplay if the batting team does not take it till the end of the 9th over.

TBC SPL will not have any bowling restrictions on whom to bowl in powerplays; it will be purely the fielding captain’s decision based on his strategy.

Fielding Restrictions

Bowling powerplay overs will have a max of 2 players fielding outside the 30 yard circle.
Batting powerplay overs will have a max of 3 players fielding outside the 30 yard circle.
For non-powerplay overs a max of 4 players can field outside the 30 yard circle.
For the entire innings a max of 5 players can be fielded on the leg side of the batting field.
In the event of infringement of any of the above fielding restrictions, the umpires will call a “NO” ball. Please check the No Balls section for more information on NO ball deliveries.

The New and Old Ball

Every innings in all the games of TBC SPL will be played with new balls.
In the event the ball is lost or has deteriorated to an extent where it cannot be played anymore, umpires can decide to change the ball.
Captains can also request a change of ball from the umpire, but it will be the final decision of the umpires to do so.
The changed ball will always be a used ball unless the ball is lost or completely damaged in the first 3 overs of the usage.

Results and Points

The winning side will be awarded 2 points. No points will be awarded to the losing side.
There will NOT be a Super Over in the league round and if the game is a TIE both the teams will get 1 point each.
Finals will have a Super Over to get a result.

Super Over rules in qualifier and finals

One Super Over match will be played.
Prior to the start of the Super Over, each team elects 3 batsmen and 1 bowler, and the nominated players must be informed to the umpires.
The team batted second in the match will bat first in the one over eliminator.
The same ball used in the inning will be used. No ball change.
Non-powerplay fielding restrictions are applicable for the Super Over.
No last man plays in the Super Over. The innings will be over if the batting team loses 2 wickets.

In the event of the teams having the same score even after the Super Over (tied), the following order applies:

Higher seed team will be adjudged winner, if still tied.
Team with the higher NRR will be the winner, if still tied.
The team that won the league game against the same opponent will be the winner; if that game was washed out, tied or they did not play each other at all then go to point 4.
The team that has the highest total number of sixes and fours hit by the team in the same game including both the regular innings as well as the Super Over will be the winner, if still tied.
Then the team that has the highest number of total runs in the league rounds will move forward.

Interrupted Games

In the event of a game being shortened due to weather, a late start is allowed with a minimum of a 10 overs game. The latest time a game can start is 6:30 pm with 10 overs (2 overs per batsman max, 3-3-2-2 max overs for bowlers and second power play only 1 over with the 9th being the mandatory powerplay).
In the event the game starts at 6 pm due to weather, the number of overs will be reduced to 12 overs (2 overs per batsman max, 3-3-3-3 max overs for bowlers and second power play only 1 over with the 10th being the mandatory powerplay).
In case of rain interruption during the game, the time required to complete the number of overs (considering how many overs were decided to be played at the start of the game) will be taken into consideration with an 8:15 pm hard stop, and considering 5 minutes per over: if the game cannot be completed by 8:15 pm then the game will be abandoned and 1 point shared NO MATTER AT WHAT STAGE THE GAME WAS AT THAT TIME.
An interrupted game can only be because of rain delay or delay of the previous match, no other exceptions.
If the game is not possible in the allocated time, then the game will be abandoned, and 1 point will be awarded to both the teams during the league games.
DL method will NOT be used in TBC SPL. An ongoing game, if it gets interrupted by rains and cannot be resumed, will be abandoned and 1 point will be awarded to each team. The umpires will do the final assessment and make the necessary decision based on the ground conditions and safety of the players.

Qualifiers & Finals

The top 3 teams qualify for the knockout stage based on points that they have accumulated playing the league rounds.

If the top 3 teams cannot be decided by the points, then the following criteria would be used:

Team with the higher NRR will move forward to qualifiers and finals, if still tied.
League round winner will move forward, if still tied.
Then the team that has the highest number of total runs from all the league games will move to qualifiers and finals.
If there is a 3-way tie then we will calculate the NRR up to nth decimal places.

The team ranked 1 in the group stage will directly move to the finals.
Teams ranked 2 and 3 will play a playoff match and the winner will meet the team ranked 1 in the finals.
In case of rain for the playoff or the finals it will be continued from the same spot as it was interrupted on the next Friday or Sunday, whichever comes first.

Mankading

The bowler is permitted, before releasing the ball and provided he has not completed his usual delivery swing, to attempt a run out at the non-striker end if the player is trying to leave the crease before the ball is bowled.
A first warning will be given to the non-striker batsman.
On the second instance the bowler can appeal, and if out the umpire can check with the fielding captain and decide to give out or not out.

Bowling Regulations

For a 14-over game, the bowling team will have to use a minimum of 4 bowlers with 2 bowlers bowling a maximum of 4 overs and 2 other bowlers bowling a maximum of 3 overs.
For a 12-over game, the bowling team must use a minimum of 4 bowlers, with each bowler allowed to bowl a maximum of 3 overs.
A bowler can be retired by the captain at any point due to an injury or excessive extras being bowled (5 or more). 6 legal deliveries must be bowled to complete the over.
An incomplete over can be bowled by any bowler in the team except the bowler who has bowled the previous over.
A bowler who completes the incomplete over cannot bowl the next over.
A bowler who completes the incomplete over will have his over counted towards his quota even if he bowls less than 6 balls.
For bowling powerplay rules please refer to the Power Plays section above.

Batting Regulations

Each batsman can be at the crease for a max of 3 overs when they come to bat for the first time in a game. For repeat games it will be 2 overs.
The captain will have to retire a batsman after the batsman has been on the crease for the allocated number of overs mentioned in point (a).
Captain cannot retire a batsman before completion of the minimum overs mentioned in point (a).
It is the captain’s responsibility to make sure that every batsman in the team gets to bat at least the overs mentioned in point (a) without fail.
A batsman coming in the middle of the over will NOT go against the overs that the batsman must be on the crease unless it is the first ball.
Captain cannot retire a batsman in the middle of the over unless the batsman is injured, or the batsman is a return batsman i.e., the first round of batting is completed by all the players.
A retired batsman can only come back after all the players in the team have got an opportunity to bat.
Exception to rule (g): A retired batsman can return in the second powerplay even though not all players have got a chance to bat but will have to return after the powerplay is completed if there are other players who have not yet batted.
A batsman who has not completed his batting quota or has completed his quota on the last ball before the second powerplay can continue batting in the second powerplay and will have to return after the powerplay is completed if there are other players who have not batted.
Bowling powerplay (1st powerplay of 2 overs) will go towards the minimum quota of the playing batsman.
Batting powerplay (2nd powerplay of 1 or 2 overs) will NOT go towards the minimum quota of the batsman playing.
For other batting powerplay rules please refer to the Power Plays section above.
TBC SPL will have the last man batting with a runner at the non-striker end.

Player Substitutions

TBC SPL will have a special provision for teams who cannot field their own 10 team members.
If a team is short on players, they can request other players, i.e., from other teams who are not playing that game to come and play the game for them.
It will be the requested player’s call whether to play the game or not; they can consult with their respective sponsor or captain, but it is not mandatory.
A sponsor or captain cannot force a player from their team to play or not to play as a substitute for some other team.
A substitute player can be used like any other player, i.e., they can bat and bowl for the team they are playing as a substitute.
A captain and sponsor cannot request or play a substitute player if they have a player who is ready to play from their own team roster; if such a scenario happens the player can raise a FLAG to any of the EC members so that necessary steps can be taken for it to not happen. This needs to happen before the game has started; once the game has started NO action can be taken.
A team can substitute only during the league games; no substitution will be allowed during qualifiers and finals.
A team will have only 4 substitutes available for the entire tournament.
There is no limit to substitute for a single game if it is not over the total number of substitutes available for the tournament.
A player is permitted to play as a substitute in a maximum of two matches during the entire tournament.

Who can substitute whom

Substitution of the players is only allowed for the same or lower round pick from another team.
Only players who were selected in the draft from R10 to R14 can be used as substitutes. No other players are allowed as substitutes.

Scoring Rules / Declare Runs

All the declared runs rules and behind-the-wicket-keeper rules will be explained to the captains of the team before the tournament. It will be the captain’s job to explain it to the team in their individual groups.
A batsman will have the right to decline the declared runs; for instance if the ball has landed in a place where we have 1 run declared, the batsman if needed can decline that run.
The declared runs will be clearly marked on the ground with number plates and flags.

Chucking

EC will not ban any bowler from bowling in TBC SPL due to suspected action.
If a bowler has a suspected action, either the batsman or captain can let the umpires know that they are appealing on the action of the bowler.
In the event the umpire suspects the bowler of questionable action they must warn the bowler once, and after the warning the umpire has every right to call it a NO ball as per normal cricketing rules if the bowler does not correct his action.

Awards

At the end of each game, we will have a Man of the Match announcement.
The MOM will be decided by the winning captain of the game with the help of the umpires and will be announced in the Sponsors group.
One trophy per game will be given to the MOM only.

In case of any confusion, the EC’s decision will be the final decision and must be adhered to.