WCL 2023 Summer league - rules & regulations League contact: wcladmins (wclbayarea@gmail.com)

 Schedule Summer season 2023:
Start date: April 1st, 2023.
Schedule: WCL Summer league 2023: Schedule - WCL Bay area
League Rules and regulations:
(Note: highlighted in blue are specific to WCL, so pay additional attention to those rules!)
  
 WCL League Mission/Motto:
Come together to play cricket for fun with a degree of professionalism & sportsmanship. (no aggressiveness on the field will be tolerated, at the end we all play for fun)
Format of WCL Summer 2023 season:
● We will have 14 teams (see table above) in this season. Each team will play 1 game with the remaining teams, in total each team will play 13 games in the league stage. We will use cricclubs (scoring app) ranking mechanism to rank the teams at the end of league matches.
● The teams that finished first and second in the league table will play each other in Qualifier 1. The winner of that match will progress to the final, but the loser is not yet eliminated.
● Meanwhile, the teams that finished third and fourth in the league table will play each other in the eliminator.
● The loser of the eliminator is knocked out, while the winner of the eliminator earns the right to play the loser of Qualifier 1 in Qualifier 2.
● The winner of Qualifier 2 plays the winner of Qualifier 1 in the final, where the winner of the tournament is crowned.
 ● Minor Trophy will be decided by Organizers whether to conduct or not based on Fund and Time - discretion of the organizer!

 Innings & Ground settings:
● Home team is responsible to set up the ground before the scheduled start time.
● Each innings will have a maximum of 20 overs a side, a bowler can bowl a
maximum of 4 overs.
● Power play: First 6 overs of each innings will have power play restrictions - where only
2 fielders allowed outside the inner circle
● Inner circle measurement (from the center of the pitch): 70ft
● Pitch length ( stumps to stumps): 64ft
● Boundary distance (from the batting crease stumps) : 175 ft circle measured with the
batting crease as the center.
● Batting (wide) crease: 3 feet on either side from the middle stump
● Batting (popping) crease: 4 feet from the stumps, towards the non-striker
● Bowling crease: 4 feet from the stumps, towards the batting crease
● Bowling return crease: 4’ 5” on either side from the middle stump, not necessarily a
no-ball but umpire to warn the bowler to have both feet inside the line. Cutting the side line is allowed.
Declared Run:
Neutral umpire in consultation with the playing teams’ captains will declare rules and put markings on the ground to enforce 1D, 2D, 3D declared runs depending on the layout of the ground - esp. in baseball grounds if there are closeby fences and also in other non-360 grounds. Batsman to swap the strike for 1D & 3D. Recommendations for declare runs markers:
1D: Up to 100 ft from batting stumps
2D: Between 101 ft to 140 ft from batting stumps 3D: Between 141 ft to 175 ft
175 ft is a boundary line
Players code of conduct:
● This is 11 a side tournament - so each team can have max 11 players. Each team should declare the Playing 11 for the game in captains (whatsapp) group at least a day before the game.
● Substitute: Teams can have max one substitutes for player injury or any other unforeseen incidents. Substitutes cannot bowl or bat but can field.
● All players should take the field within 30 min of game start time.
● No player can play for more than one team in the season. They may field as substitutes
for any team.

 ● By-runner - if the opposition captain & umpires permits, during the innings at most one batsman can take a by-runner. More than one batsman cannot take a by-runner.
Additional Rule for play-off games:
● Players playing in the play-offs should have played at least 2 games in the league stage.
Team Walkover Rule:
Walkover at any time and under any situation (including the arguments on the field, but not limited to just this type of incident) will be treated as forfeiture of the game by the team and the other team will be declared as winner (hence will get all the match points) unless game is declared ended/complete by the umpire and/or organizer.
The team who is not able to gather the minimum (8) players required for the game, they must announce to the Leadership WhatsApp group, at least by the night before the game. So that the opposition team’s players don’t wake up and drive to just see a walkover game.
Penalty of 0.5 point would be imposed on the team giving a walkover from their points, on the points table, so far.
Rule for Tied Game:
For all the games ( league and knockouts) if the game is tied by the end of stipulated play then the following procedure shall apply if the playing conditions provide for a Super Over to decide the winner of a tied match. If the match is tied a Super Over is played. If the Super Over is a tie, then subsequent Super Overs shall be played until there is a winner. Unless exceptional circumstances arise, there shall be an unlimited number of Super Overs played to achieve a result.
● The Super Over involves each team facing one over (unless all out earlier), and the winner shall be the team that scores the most runs from its one over innings.
● The loss of two wickets in the over ends the team’s one over innings.
● Subject to weather conditions the Super Over will take place on the scheduled day of the match .In normal circumstances it shall commence within 5 minutes after the conclusion
of the match.
● Only nominated players in the match can participate in the Super Over. Should any player
(including the batsmen and bowler) be unable to continue to participate in the Super Over due to injury, illness or other wholly acceptable reasons, the Team has to play with the remaining player.
● The team batting second in the match shall bat first in the Super Over.

 ● Each team’s over is played with the same fielding restrictions as apply for the last over in a match played
● If the Super Over is tied, then subsequent Super Overs will be played until there is a winner.
● In normal circumstances, any subsequent Super Over will start within 5 minutes after the previous Super Over ends. The interval shall be max 5 minutes.
● The team batting second in the previous Super Over will bat first in the subsequent Super Over.
● Any batsman dismissed in any previous Super Over shall be ineligible to bat in the following Super Over.
● The bowler who bowled the over in the previous Super Over shall be ineligible to bowl the over in the subsequent Super Over.
● All other playing conditions will be the same as for the initial Super Over.
Umpires for the game
● There will be one neutral umpire ( from non playing teams) for each league match. Batting team should provide the leg umpire. Neutral umpire has the final say in all the rule calls (unless it’s explicitly called out in this doc). Neutral umpire can also overrule leg umpire when it’s appropriate.
Penalty for missing umpiring duty: 0.25 points will be deducted from the team's total league points every time a team misses the neutral umpiring duty. If a team misses the neutral umpiring duty multiple times ( more than 2 times) then the team may lose their eligibility to participate in the subsequent iteration of the league - WCL rules committee will decide here!.
Throwing/Chucking action
● It will be the neutral umpire’s call - he may choose to refer to ICC rules. Team No-Show
● Failure to show up for a game will result in the team abandoning the game and also losing all the league points they have acquired up until then. Delay of more than 30 mins from the designated start time will be treated as no show unless delay is because of non team related events.

 ● If the team has at least 8 players on the field, they are good to start the game but additional penalties for the players joining late would be assessed as explained below.
● If ground setup is delayed by the home team, the delay start rules will kick in against the
home team.
● If one team has enough players (minimum 8) to start the game but other team is waiting
on their minimum required players to start the game, following table shows the penalty:
○ Less than 15 mins, no penalty. (ex. Game scheduled for 7:45 am then no penalty
until 8:00 am)
○ From 15 to 20 mins, total 2 overs deduction (batting inning whether batting first
or second)
○ From 21 to 29 mins, total 5 overs deduction (batting inning whether batting first
or second)
○ 30 mins and over is automatic forfeiture.
● Penalties for delayed start - team(s) causing delayed start from stipulated game start time will be penalized by reduction in the number of overs the team(s) will face while batting. Number of overs that will be reduced is based on the below table:
Note: Neutral umpire will enforce the penalties for delayed start!.
The restrictions on the individual player participation for late arrival:
1. A player who comes late can only bat after the fall of 4th wicket if his team was
batting first.
2. A player who comes late can bowl anytime in the second innings if his team was
batting first.
3. A player who comes after N overs of his team’s bowling inning will not be
allowed to bowl for another N overs of bowling inning.
Examples that can be used as guidelines:
1. Team A is batting first and the player(s) arrive late. The player(s) can bat after the fall of
the 4 th wicket AND can bowl anytime.
2. Team A is bowling first and the player(s) arrive(s) after 5 overs are completed. The
player(s) can bowl from the 11th over onwards AND can bat anytime.
3. Team A is bowling first and the player(s) came after 10 overs. The player(s) will not be
allowed to bowl and AND can bat anytime.
Power play rules and field restrictions
● Powerplay in effect for the first 6 overs of an innings - where max 2 fielders allowed outside the inner circle.
● Any time max 5 fielders allowed on legside. No restrictions for off-side.
● After powerplay, max 5 fielders allowed outside the inner circle.

 Misconduct
● Captains or umpires may refer any misconduct by the player(s) to WCL admins. Player may be dropped from the team for the season - discretion WCL admins.
● Team could be suspended from the league if there are repeated misconduct/violations from the team ( prior warning may be given before suspending a team) - discretion WCL admins.
● Players are not allowed to smoke or drink alcoholic beverages on the school campuses. This is a defined rule by the city's Unified School district. This rule must strictly be adhered to by all teams. Individual Captain/VC should enforce this important rule to their respective team members. This will cost the league to lose the ground forever.
Schedule/Scorecard
● WCL admins will announce the full schedule of league and playoff games before the tournament starts. Schedule will be available in the cricclubs app & google sheet. Once the game is complete, the scorecard will be available in the app as well. We will not provide any separate website or apps for this purpose.
● Schedule change requests from any team for any reason will not be considered. Team will be considered forfeited and total match points will be awarded to the opponent. If a team cannot play for any reason - covid fear, covid cases, less players - then it's a forfeit and points awarded to the opponent. No sharing of points
● Playoffs will be rescheduled only in bad weather conditions or rain or unplayable conditions. The reschedules would be entertained for 1 time only. After that the winner will be chosen based on the league table ranking.
Bad Weather and game abandoned for non team related events (League stage games only)
● Game will be rescheduled unless the game can be restarted on the same day on the same ground, in which case the game can resume from the point at which it was stopped. Rescheduled game need to be replayed from the start!.
● In case of any interruption during the second innings, if circumstances allow, the result would be obtained by the D/L method. If D/L is unable to apply, game points will be split equally between the teams of that particular game.
● A minimum of six overs is needed for the games to be decided by the D/L method. Each side must face at least six overs unless one or both teams are bowled out and/or the second team reaches its target in fewer overs.
● We will use the CricClubs app to calculate the revised target using the D/L method.
● If for some reason the game is abandoned (washout, ground unavailability etc) then the
game points will be split equally between the playing teams of that particular game.
    
 ● In Case of ground availability issues, management will attempt and suggest alternate grounds (if available) on the scheduled date otherwise the game points will be split equally between the playing teams of that particular game.
Scoring, ranking of teams and players.
● We will use the cricclubs app for scoring and ranking for teams/players.
Starting Game On-Time
● It’s the responsibility of playing captains and umpires to start the game on time!. Equipment
● Teams should bring their own kit, boundary marking cones, etc.
● We will use a new ball for each innings. New balls will be provided on the game day.
Rewards/Trophies
● Individual trophies for winners and losers of the finals. Also trophies will be given to best batsman, best bowler, best wicket keeper/fielder and MVP of the league both for the overall and league stage (based on ranking at the end of all league matches but before playoffs). We will also give the player of the match award for the finals.
Prize Ceremony
● Typically we hold prize distribution on the finals day, just after the game!. Complaint Process
● Write to: wclbayarea@gmail.com
WCL Cricket Rules
Batsman Retired Not Out - Whenever a batsman retires because of injury, illness or any other exceptional circumstances, he is permitted to recommence his innings anytime later during their team’s innings only after the fall of a wicket or retirement of another batsman.
If the retired batsman does not recommence his innings under the above circumstances, then his innings will be recorded as “RETIRED NOT OUT”.
Batsman Retired Out - Whenever a batsman retires because of reasons other than the above mentioned reasons (example - weaker batsman retiring himself to allow a stronger hard hitting
 
 batsman to come in at the end overs etc.), he is permitted to recommence his innings anytime later during their team’s innings only after taking consent from the opposing captain, and again only after the fall of a wicket or retirement of another batsman.
If the retired batsman does not recommence his innings under the above circumstances, then his innings will be recorded as “RETIRED OUT”.
Note: Neutral umpire will make the call between retired-not out and retired-out if the batsman is retiring
Free Hit
● No free hit following the no-ball, except the front foot no-ball (defined later in this rule book).
LBW & leg byes
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Byes
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Wide
No LBW and leg byes.
If the batsman misses a ball and the wicket-keeper fails to gather it, the batsman may take runs. These runs are called Byes.
○ Run out or stumping on a bye run is valid.
○ However if the ball hits the leg or any part of the body (except the gloves or hands
up to the wrist, if the player is wearing it) no runs can be taken but the ball will be counted as a valid ball.
● A white line or a marker (36 inches from the middle stump) on the offside will be drawn to help the umpires in giving wide.
● It’s a wide ball if the ball is on or away from the wide line
● Anything on the leg side outside the leg stump is a wide. If it’s on the leg stump
then it’s not a wide.
● A ball is a wide ball if it passes over the wide line where the batsman is standing.
In other words, if the ball pitches outside the wide line and spins inside the wide line near the batsman, so as to be within the reach of the batsman, the ball is not wide. On the other hand, if the ball pitches inside the wide line but spins outside the wide line and out of the reach of the batsman, it is a wide ball.

 No-ball
● It is a no-ball if the bowler oversteps the crease line while bowling (it is ok to over step after the ball has left the hand of the bowler). If the heel of the bowler’s leg crosses the crease before delivering the ball it is a no-ball.
● A ball is a No-ball if it is a full toss above the waist. If the batsman is out of the crease then it’s the umpire’s call.
● It is a no-ball if the ball passes above the striker’s head standing upright at the popping crease. Regardless of whether the batter had contact with the ball or not, it is a no-ball.
● On the return crease (bowling side box), the back foot of the bowler should not completely go out of the side lines, it will be called no-ball.
● If a bowler puts wicket down at his end during delivery, and he delivers the ball, it will be signaled as NO BALL by the bowler's end umpire. If the bowler does not deliver the ball, it will be signaled as DEAD BALL by the bowler's end umpire.
● It is a no-ball if the bowler bowls without the umpire indicating that the field was ready for play.
● The umpire should ask the bowling action from the bowler. It’s not a No-ball if the player doesn’t call his action. If the bowler fails to notify of a change in his mode of delivery the umpire will signal no-ball.
● Umpire can call a no-ball if the fielders move latterly after the bowler takes the start.
● Umpires will signal no-ball for a full pitched delivery and caution the bowler and inform the other umpire, batsmen and the captain of the fielding side. If the same bowler bowls a second full pitched delivery in the innings the umpire will signal a no-ball and will give a final warning to the bowler. After a third incident, the umpire will signal no-ball and suspend the bowler from bowling in that innings.
○ Full pitched delivery definition -- (i)Any delivery, other than a slow paced one, which passes or would have passed on the full above waist height of the striker standing upright at the popping crease is (ii) A slow delivery which passes or would have passed on the full above shoulder height of the striker standing upright at the popping crease
● No-ball is based on where the foot lands finally and not where it landed first
● One run will be granted for no ball and the ball will be repeated. The run will be
added to whatever is scored by the batsman. Umpire’s call is FINAL.
● The only way to get out on a no-ball is a run-out. Hit-wicket or being caught on
such a ball will not get the player out.
● If a ball is both wide and no-ball, it is counted as a no-ball.

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● ●
Free hit:
Only front foot no-ball would be considered for the Free Hit.
Dead-Ball
Hit Wicket
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Overthrows
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● ●
●
● ● ● ●
If the ball (first) bounces over any unmarked pitch area (e.g. on grass in PES ground) then the ball will be called a dead-ball and will need to be replayed.
A bowler is allowed to bowl max 3 dead-balls ( called only for pitching on the grass) in an over and subsequent dead-balls in the same over will be declared no-ball.
If a ball bounces twice in front of the batsman, the ball will be called a dead-ball and will need to be replayed ( no penalty for this call).
There will be no runs granted on a dead-ball.
If a wide ball is also dead, it will be declared a dead-ball.
If a ball is dead, the ball is considered no longer in play. If a dead ball rolls and hits the wicket, it is not out.
If, in attempting to hit a ball or taking off for a first run, the batsman touches and breaks the wicket (with the bat or some other piece of equipment), this is called hit wicket and the batsman is declared out.
Hit wicket is valid on a normal ball as well as on a wide ball. However in case of a dead-ball or a no-ball, it is invalid.
If the batsman touches or breaks the wickets while completing the run it is not out.
If no fielder near the pitch gathers the ball and it continues into the field again, the batsman may take more runs.
All the “no-ball” decisions will be called out by the neutral umpire. Leg umpire can suggest or request or provide more data about waist height full toss or above shoulder no-ball but the main neutral umpire is the final decision maker.
If the full toss ball hits the stumps/bails it is out, umpire cannot call it a no-ball. Either umpire will signal no-ball if the keeper fails to inform the umpires about significantly changing his position (close to the stumps or far away from the
stumps )

 ● If the ball reaches the boundary on an overthrow, four runs are scored in addition to the runs taken before the overthrow occurred.
Stumped
● On the line is out!. Run-outs
● A run-out is when a batsman is attempting to take a run, or to return to his crease after an aborted run, and a fielder breaks that batsman’s wicket with the ball while he is out of the crease.
● If the non-striker is out of his ground at any time from the moment the ball comes into play until the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball (the highest point in that bowler’s action), the non-striker batter is liable to be Run out (formerly known as ‘Mankading’).
● It is possible for the non-striker to be run out if the striker hits the ball straight down the pitch towards the non-striker’s wicket, and the bowler/fielder deflects the ball on to the wicket while the non-striker is out of his crease.
● If the ball is hit directly on to the non-striker’s wicket, without being touched by a fielder, then the non-striker is not out.
● Batsman cannot be run out while the ball is not in play - so they may confer in the middle of the pitch between deliveries if they desire.
● For a run-out, the fielder has to break the wicket with the ball directly or with the hand that holds the ball. The fielder cannot hold the ball in one hand and touch the wicket with the other hand.
● In case of a run-out, the batsman nearest to the side of the wickets that are broken is out.
● The batsman must have some part of his body or his bat (provided he is holding it) grounded behind (not on) the crease.
● When the wicket keeper or the fielders break the stumps before collecting the ball then to run-out they have to hold the stumps (even one stump is fine) and the ball in their hands, touching each other.
● The ball is not dead if the fielder collects the ball and throws it towards the bowler or the fields and they miss to collect it, in that case the batsman can take run(s).
● If a batsman misses the ball and in attempting to play it, steps outside the crease, he is out stumped if the wicket-keeper gathers the ball and breaks the wicket with it before the batsman can ground part of his body or his bat behind the crease.
● If a player is out of the crease and the ball hits his legs, the keeper can still get the player stumped. However, the keeper cannot get the player run out. Umpire needs to be careful when determining this situation.

 Caught Out
Runs
● No runs are scored on a caught out even if the batsman cross each other before the ball is caught.
● If the batsman and runner run to the other crease before the ball is caught, the runner maintains his position, meaning, the new incoming batter will take the strike for the next ball (if any balls left in the same over otherwise the new batter will take the runner’s position).
● A run is scored by the batsman when they both reach the opposite creases.
● If the batsman and runner cross each other before getting caught or made run-out, for the next ball, the batsman position will be treated as if they had switched the
position ( like regular run).
● No run is awarded if a catch or a run-out was made after the run commenced.
● If, while running multiple runs, a batsman does not touch the ground beyond the
crease before he returns for the next run, then the umpire at that end will signal
one short, and that run will not be counted.
● On a 1-D & 3-D, the players need to rotate strike.
● The base of the stumps is to be treated as the wicket in case of run-outs, bowled, etc.
● On the line is out
● After the over is complete batsman or non-striker has to be in the crease till the
umpire calls it over, if they are out of the crease fielders/wicket keeper can break
the stumps and it is considered as run out/stump.
● If a batsman have a bi-runner, both of them has to be in the crease, either of them
outside the crease fielders/wicket keeper can break the stumps and it is considered as run out/stump.
○ Neutral umpire makes the call if a player can have a runner
○ In the spirit of the game we recommend teams to be considerate when a
player asks for a runner
Definition of fair delivery - the arm
● A ball is fairly delivered in respect of the arm if, once the bowler’s arm has reached the level of the shoulder in the delivery swing, the elbow joint is not straightened partially or completely from that point until the ball has left the hand. This definition shall not debar a bowler from flexing or rotating the wrist in the delivery swing.