WCL Rules and Regulations
All WCL Club Owners, Captains, and team members using WCL resources and playing in any WCL organized tournaments and activities have provided their consent on WCL Participation Agreement. Anyone who does NOT consent to this should NOT participate in any WCL activities. In addition to common ICC rules, WCL employs special rules that are unique to WCL tournaments. All teams are expected to familiarize themselves with these rules and consult senior members if any questions arise or clarifications are required.
Captain & Vice Captain
Every team will have a captain and a vice-captain. The captain is assigned while the team is submitted for approval for WCL tournament. While there may be a captain and a vice captain on paper, this can be changed for a particular game. But the new captain and vice-captain MUST be announced before the game start time and they are considered as the representatives of the team for that game.
WCL Code of Conduct & Penalties:
All WCL players should respect and honor field (ground) rules and posted signs. Players should leave the field in a clean condition at the end of the game. All trash should be placed in trash receptacles.
Only designated bathrooms should be used.
All players shall follow good sportsman conduct. Exhibiting aggressive actions, fighting, shouting against each other, cursing, throwing or kicking equipment, throwing balls at each other, abusing players and umpires and rushing the umpire to influence decision are considered bad sportsmanship and is STRICTLY prohibited in the field as it creates a bad image of the game and the players. WCL Board reserve the rights to investigate such behavior and impose penalties in the form of player suspensions (any number of games), team suspensions (current tournament and future tournaments) and points penalties including revoking or reversing a game if such behavior is noticed. Penalties may be issued without warnings as determined by the WCL Board. Failure to comply by WCL Board ruling will result in disqualification of the team from the league for current and future tournaments.
In case of an on-field dispute, ONLY the designated Captain, Vice-captain of both the teams shall meet and resolve the issue amicably. No players should be involved. The spirit of the league is to have fun and promote a family friendly environment and promote the game of Cricket while having fun. Winning or Losing should be considered a matter of second nature.
No arguments or sledging will be tolerated between players or umpires and players. Such actions are considered unsportsmanlike and penalties (as stated earlier) will be imposed.
Players waiting in the pavilion should NOT be involved in any on-field discussions. No personal comments about any opponent player will be tolerated whether it is on the field or from the pavilion.
Game Format and Players:
All WCL Friendship League games are conducted on a 20-20 overs format.
Both teams will play 11 players per team. But, a team cannot play will less than 8 players. A team with less than 8 players will automatically concede the match to the other team.
If a game cannot be completed due to weather related issues, the game is considered abandoned. Batting or fielding teams should make every effort to complete the game in the event of weather related issues and should NOT take advantage of the situation to get tied points.
For weather impacted games, if both captains agree, the game can be reduced to 5 over and even a super over. However, the game must finish in the given time slot, otherwise it will be considered abandoned.
A bowler can bowl a maximum of 4 overs in an innings.
Only WCL approved “HRS Maruti Gold Yellow Hard Tennis Balls” are to be used. Each team must provide a new ball for their batting innings.
Powerplay & Field Restrictions:
During the first 4 overs of a 20-over inning a maximum of two fielders are allowed to be deployed in the outfield.
Batting Power Play: Batting team can pick any 2 contiguous overs where only 2 fielders are allowed out of inner circle. Batting powerplay has to be taken outside of first 4 overs. If batting powerplay has not been taken till 18 overs then automatically last 2 overs of the innings (19 & 20) become batting powerplay
At least 3 fielders must remain on either the Off or Leg Side.
A maximum of five fielders outside 30 yards outside powerplay overs.
Game Schedule, Set-up and Breaks:
The game time/location will be scheduled ahead of time.
Both teams are obligated to stick to the scheduled date, time and location.
Teams can take a maximum of 5 minute break after the first 10 overs of each innings, and a 10 minute break after the completion of an innings. If a wicket is claimed during the 9th over of an innings, the captains may agree to take a break along with the change in batsman. If the captains don’t agree, a break will be taken at the end of 10 overs.
Back to back games are scheduled on this field, hence it is important that all games should start and finish within the allotted field permit times. The game will be considered abandoned if it goes beyond allotted time.
Both teams should arrive approximately 20 minutes before the start of the match for a timely start. Failure to start the game on a timely manner will result in automatic loss of toss for the responsible team.
Toss should be done prior to game start time but no later than the start time. A team should have at least 8 players at the start time for a toss.
Substitute Rules:
A player introduction must be done prior to the start of the game and the playing 11 should be identified during this time. Substitutes should also be clearly identified at this time.
A substitute cannot bat or bowl.
If a substitute is used at the beginning of the game (due to late arrival of a player), then the substitute MUST be replaced before the end of first 10 overs. If the actual player does NOT arrive by the end of 10 overs break, then the team will play with 10 players plus the substitute. This rule holds good for both teams batting first or bowling first. The player arriving later than 10 overs will NOT get game credit for that match. Although the scoring app may include the name of the player arriving late (which is selected before the game starts), the opposite team captain MUST flag this in the scorecard to ensure that the player’s name is correctly removed from before approving it. This is a post-game scorecard reconciliation and approval step.
A player arriving late should be immediately announced to the opposite team captain. If batting first, batting team captain may wait till the end of that over to announce the player arrival. But, the opposite team captain should announce this no later than the end of the 10 overs break. Otherwise, the player arriving late will not be considered in the playing 11. If the team fielding first gets a late arrival, the player can replace his substitute by end of that over.
If a player goes off field for “x” number of overs, they will have to field for same number of overs before they can bowl. Similarly if a player arrives late at the beginning of the game, the player should wait same number of overs he had missed before bowling. When fielding first, a fielding team player arriving at the end of 10 over break cannot bowl in that match. This waiting rule does not apply to the team batting first i.e., a player arriving at or before the end of the 10 over break for the team batting first can bat at any time after his arrival.
Substitutes during a game can only be used when absolutely needed and the opposite team captain MUST agree before a substitute is allowed on the field. Captains should use reasonable judgement to decide if a substitute is needed for injury, a medical condition or severe exhaustion. A captain may decide not to allow a substitute if a player is simply tired because of lack of fitness.
When batting first, for a player to get the player credit for that match, the player MUST be on (or in the immediate vicinity of) the field for at least 30 overs [20 batting overs + 10 bowling overs] before he can leave for a nonemergency reason. If a player arrives late, he will have to account for a total of 30 overs after his arrival. For example, if a player arrives at the end of 5 overs, he must be on the field until 35 total overs are completed. As a result, a player arriving after the 10 over break cannot be counted in the playing 11 and will not get game credit.
When fielding first, for a player to get game credit, the player MUST be on (or in the immediate vicinity of) the field until after he has batted. Or in other words, when chasing, a player can leave after he has batted and will get game credit even if the 30 over requirement is not met.
A player will be given game credit if a substitute is allowed by the opposite team captain and the player has to leave the field (or the immediate vicinity) for medical reasons. Otherwise, the 30 over requirement rule will apply before a player can get credit for the game.
Using the app and Scoring the Game:
We will be using cricket scoring app provided by cricClubs.
You can enroll your team by sending all the names to WCL committee. The players will also be able to register themselves by selecting the team inside the WCL league. The players will be needed to be approved by each team’s captain. Captain will be responsible to approve the players.
No-Ball & Wide Rules:
Overstepping No-Balls follow standard ICC Rules and will carry 1 extra run.
The ball must go over the waist height if the ball is bowled full (without a bounce) and batsmen is in the crease. This will carry 1 extra run. (Umpire’s decision will be final for any confusing situation on this.)
The ball must go over batsman’s Head after a bounce. (Doesn’t matter if the batsman is inside the crease or not). This will carry 1 extra run. (Umpire’s decision will be final for any confusing situation on this.)
No free hit for no balls.
Height No-Balls are to be called out by the Leg-Umpire as soon as the ball passes the batsman. The straight umpire can call a height No-Ball if it is very obvious.
A batsman can be declared run-out on a No-Ball.
It is the straight umpire’s responsibility to ask for the guard of the bowler at the beginning of a spell. A No-Ball should NOT be called if the bowler forgets to state his bowling guard.
It is the bowler’s responsibility to inform the straight umpire of a change of guard after he begins his spell. Any change in guard without informing the umpire MUST be called a No-Ball. This will carry 1 extra run but a free hit won’t be awarded for this delivery. (Umpire’s decision will be final for any confusing situation on this.)
A bowler is expected to bowl using standard bowling action. WCL does not have the ability to evaluate chucking. But any obvious chucking should be considered illegal and umpire needs to inform WCL officials for the same. WCL can take an immediate action on that. Umpire can give warning before reporting it to WCL officials if required.
Dead Ball Rules:
There can be no results when the ball is dead i.e., no runs can be claimed and no wickets can be taken (Exception: see broken ball rule). The ball will have to be re-bowled if declared dead. It must be noted that it is NOT the same as the ball being called dead after a play is completed.
A dead ball is declared in one of the following cases:
If the ball bounces a 2nd time in front of the batsman no matter where the batsman is standing.
If the ball stops completely in front of the batsman.
If the ball rolls along the ground in the front of the batsman.
If any obstructing event that may distract the batsman happens in and around the vicinity of the pitch. Examples of such distractions could be a fielder’s cap flying lose in the wind, trash flying on the field etc.
If a ball meets any of the dead ball criteria but also qualifies as a wide ball as per the wide ball rule, the ball must be declared dead.
Broken Ball Rule:
The exception to a dead-ball is a broken ball. A ball is considered broken if there is a clear split in the ball. Many times, there may be minor cracks in the tennis seam or the diametric seam of the ball. This is not considered to be a broken ball. But, if ball is identified to be in such a questionable state, the ball must be replaced with an equivalent ball before continuing with the next delivery. This is primarily in interest of not getting into a broken ball scenario.
Anyone - the umpire, the batsman, the runner, a fielder, or the bowler can claim if a ball is broken. This claim MUST be made before the next delivery is bowled. A ball may have broken just before bowling, during the bowling (when bouncing on the pitch), or right after the ball is hit. In any of these cases, the benefit of doubt always goes to the batsman as follows:
If runs are scored off the bat and the ball is found to be broken right after the shot, the batsman gets the runs.
Any extras scored from a ball before it is found to be broken will favor the batting team.
If the batsman gets out and suspects a broken ball, he can request the umpires and the captains to check. If agreed that the ball is broken, the ball is considered dead and is the bowler must re-bowl that ball. In this case, no runs are scored.
To avoid confusion, a broken ball negates any types of wicket – catch, run-outs, stumping, or hit-wicket.
Byes, Leg-Byes, LBWs and Overthrows:
Byes are allowed in WCL and follows standard ICC rules for byes.
WCL does not allow Leg Before Wicket (LBWs) in this format of the game. Since there is no LBWs, there are no Leg Byes. No runs can be scored if the ball hits the batsman’s body without touch the bat. A batsman can NOT be declared run-out as a result. BUT, the batsman can be stumped out by the wicket-keeper even if it hits his body.
Overthrows are allowed in WCL.
Run Outs and Stumping:
The crease belongs to the umpire and hence on the line is considered OUT for both run outs and stumping.
Bat & Pad:
Bat & Pad or Pad & Bat are treated equally as long as it is in one stroke (one motion). Since both bat & pad and pad & bat is considered to be a valid stroke, a batsman can score runs or be out caught.
Mankading:
The process of getting the runner run-out by the bowler for stealing ground when the bowler is still in bowling run-up is called Mankading. Although considered unsportsmanlike, mankading is legal by ICC rules and the umpire MUST give the batsman out if the fielding team captain appeals for a runout. It is up to the fielding captain to give a warning or not appeal.
Minimum Game Requirements for Players:
Anyone can play in WCL tournament as long as they haven’t been explicitly banned by WCL for character flaw or other similar reasons.
A player MUST have played at least 1 game during the season to qualify to play in the playoffs. Any team playing a player during the playoff who has NOT met this requirement will automatically forfeit the match to the opposing team.
Points system, Team Seeding and Handling Tied Games:
Two (2) points will be allotted for a win. One (1) points for a game with no results and zero (0) points for a lost game.
The only situation in which points will be shared is for weather related rain washed matches. Otherwise, a match cannot result in a tied game.
A tie during the season game is broken by the use of a “Super Over”. And the super over will follow the following procedure:
Each team (Captain) will nominate 3 batsmen and 1 bowler for the super over.
The team that fielded second will bat first.
If the super over results in a tie, a second super over will be conducted with reversed order of batting. And this will continue with additional super overs until a result is obtained.
Each instance of a super over will be considered a new instance and so a fresh set of 3 batsmen and bowler can be nominated.
In case of field permit issues or lack of time to play a super over on the same day, both teams MUST agree to play the super over again at a mutually agreed time.
Net Run Rate (NRR) will be automatically calculated when the scorecards are submitted and approved by WCL.
Team seeding is decided based upon points scored during the season games. The teams with higher number of points will have a better seed number (i.e., a lower number).
Depending upon the playoff format for that year, the top “x” number of teams in each group or division will move to the playoffs. The playoff format can change year over year. But, the number of season games scheduled for every team will be the same in that year.
In the event of tied points, then the following rules will apply to determine who goes ahead in the points table.
Results against each other are given higher priority and the teams with the maximum number of wins against each other will go ahead.
If the two teams haven’t played against each other or if they have the same number of wins against each other, then the team with more number of wins will in the season will go ahead.
If the teams are tied by the number of wins against each other and by the number of wins in the season then the team with a better NRR will move ahead.
As a last resort, if the teams are tied by NRR, then the winner will be decided by the toss of a coin. This is very unlikely as the NRR can be calculated to several decimal points if needed.
NRR will be automatically calculated using the formula: NRR = (Total Runs Scored / Total Overs faced) – (Total Runs conceded / Total overs bowled)
Teams will face consequences if they forfeit matches due to unavailability of players as below:
Forfeit of one match per season will be accepted without penalties. The opposing team will secure 4 points for this game.
The team opposing team will get full player credit even if they never showed up at the field. A scorecard will get submitted to log the player names towards the 1 game requirement.
Forfeiting two or more matches per season will automatically disqualify the team from the “next” season. And it will be up to WCL board to allow the team’s participation in the future.
If a team forfeits more than 50% of their games, WCL board may decide to eliminate the team completely from the “current” season and nullify and disregard all games played by that team. i.e., any points won or lost against the team will have no effect.
Handling Rain Washed Games:
A game is considered washed out if a toss cannot be made with the intent of playing a game. This call can be made all the way up to game day/time.
If a game is washed out, players are NOT counted towards their minimum game requirement.
If a toss can be made but then the game gets washed out, then each team will submit the team roster with the playing 11. For this to happen, both teams will have to be at the ground and the playing members (a minimum of 8 players at the field) should be announced to each other captains.
If both teams are present and a decision cannot be arrived to play or to call it washed out at the announced start time of the game, then the team with the most players present have the upper hand to make the call.
If equal players (8 through 11) are present and a decision cannot be arrived, then the game is considered washed out. And teams will get 2 points each and only players in the field will get game credit.
A game that gets cancelled without any players ever arriving at the field will result in teams sharing 2 points each with no game credits to any players.
Neutral Umpires and Quality of Umpiring:
League games are umpired by batting team. Only senior and responsible members of the batting team must be assigned umpiring duties to avoid unnecessary issues.
To promote umpiring consistency and quality across an innings, umpire rotations must be minimized. It is strongly recommended that one umpire takes charge of a significant portion of the innings excluding any time he may bat.
Umpires MUST make unbiased calls during the games. When in doubt, the umpire should consult with the other umpire to make a reasonable, unbiased call. Umpire’s call is final.
Neutral umpires will be assigned for playoffs (QF, SF, F). By participating in the league, all teams are automatically committed to providing neutral umpires during the playoff stage. It is the Captain to provide a responsible neutral umpire for the playoff. A team may swap with another team to provide neutral umpire. But, it is the responsibility of the original team assigned to provide neutral umpire to transfer ownership and announce it to the WCL board. Failure to provide a neutral umpire will risk losing their spot in WCL during the following year.
An exact schedule of neutral umpire assignment will be announced a week or two prior to the playoffs and will be based upon team seeding. Teams that didn’t make it to the playoffs will umpire for the first round. Teams that lose the first round will provide neutral umpires for the next round and so on. Only the teams making it to the finals that year will have the advantage of not providing a neutral umpire that year. Depending upon the number of divisions and games in each division, cross divisional umpiring may be assigned to avoid conflicts of interest.
