Tennis Ball Cricket Rules: Formats and Local Rules

Tennis ball cricket follows the spirit of the Laws of Cricket, but almost every tournament adds its own local rules: shorter games of 6, 8 or 10 overs, strict limits on bouncers and throwing, and usually no LBW. There is no single official rulebook, so the golden rule is simple: write your rules down and share them before the first ball.

Below are the most common conventions used in gully, maidan and tournament tennis-ball cricket across India, and a sample rules table you can adapt. Everything here is local practice, not a Law of Cricket, unless we say otherwise.

Taped or untaped ball?

The first decision shapes everything else.

• Untaped (plain) tennis ball: soft, bouncy and slow. Ideal for beginners, mixed-age games, offices and tight spaces. Very safe without pads.
• Taped tennis ball: a tennis ball wrapped in electrical insulation tape. It is heavier, skids off the surface, swings and comes on much faster. The taped ball is the standard in many competitive night tournaments.

With a taped ball, agree how it's taped and when it's replaced; many tournaments supply a new ball each innings.

Common formats

Eleven a side is traditional, but 8 or 9 is common on small grounds and when squads are thin. In professional T20 cricket a bowler can bowl a fifth of the overs; tennis-ball tournaments copy that idea loosely, so in an 8-over game it's usually 2 overs per bowler, which forces at least four bowlers.

If you're still choosing a structure for the whole tournament, our cricket tournament formats guide compares round robin, groups and knockouts.

Bowling restrictions

Tennis-ball cricket is fast, and without pads and helmets the bowling rules are what keep it safe.

Bouncers

Most tournaments ban bouncers outright, or allow one per over. The usual wording: any ball that passes above the batter's shoulder (or head) while they stand upright is called a wide or a no-ball. Decide which in advance; a no-ball with a free hit is the stricter choice.

Under the actual Laws, short-pitched bowling is judged by the umpire as dangerous or not. Local rules replace that judgement with a simple height line so arguments are shorter.

Full tosses

A full toss above waist height is a no-ball in the Laws too (Law 41), and tennis-ball tournaments apply it strictly. With a taped ball, a beamer can genuinely hurt.

Chucking (throwing)

Under Law 21, a bowler's arm must not straighten, partially or completely, between reaching shoulder height and releasing the ball. In local cricket, the umpire usually calls "throw" by eye. Common conventions:

• First throw is a warning, the next is a no-ball (sometimes with a free hit).
• Some tournaments call any suspected throw a no-ball straight away.
• A bowler called repeatedly may be stopped from bowling for the rest of the match.

Whatever you choose, give the decision to the umpire, and make the umpire's call final.

Why LBW is usually not applied

Most tennis-ball tournaments play no LBW. The reasons are practical:

• There is rarely a neutral umpire with a good view.
• Tennis balls bounce higher and turn unpredictably, so judging the ball's path is hard.
• Batters usually don't wear pads, so "leg before" feels unfair when they are only protecting themselves.

To stop batters deliberately kicking the ball away, some tournaments add a rule that a batter who intentionally blocks the ball with the leg instead of playing a shot is out, or that runs off the body are not allowed. Bowled, caught, run out, stumped and hit wicket still apply as normal.

Popular local rules

These turn up in tournament after tournament. Pick the ones that suit your ground.

• One tip one hand: a catch taken with one hand after one bounce is out. Common in gully and indoor games.
• Last man stands: the final batter can bat alone with no partner, running both ends.
• Retire at a set score: a batter must retire at, say, 25 or 30 runs so others get a turn.
• Wides and no-balls: often one run plus a re-bowl, but some tournaments award two runs or a free hit. See wides and no-balls local rules.
• Direct hit over a wall or into a building: often out, not six. Common in gullies with neighbours' windows nearby.
• Fixed boundary values: on small grounds, a straight hit along the ground for four but no sixes over a certain side.

Equipment

You need far less than for leather-ball cricket.

• Bat: a light tennis-ball bat. They are thinner and lighter than leather-ball bats, so you can play fast pull and loft shots.
• Balls: buy a box. Tape for taped ball, plus a spare roll.
• Stumps: spring-base or fixed stumps. Bails are optional; without them, a batter is bowled if the ball hits the stumps.
• Protection: usually none, though a box (abdominal guard) is sensible with a taped ball. Some tournaments require helmets for under-16s.
• Scorer: a phone and someone patient. Our guide on how to score a cricket match covers the basics.

A sample tennis ball cricket rules table

Copy, tweak and share this with captains before your tournament.

Every row is a local convention: change any of them, but share them before match day.

Score tennis-ball rules without arguments

The hardest part of local rules is applying them consistently. In MyGully11 you set custom formats once per tournament: fewer players a side, last man standing, one-bounce catches, retiring at a set score and your own runs for wides and no-balls. The scorer follows those rules every ball, so nobody has to remember them mid-over. The points table and net run rate update automatically after each match.

The tennis ball cricket tournament app page shows how a full tournament comes together, and if your games are in an enclosed arena, read our box cricket rules as well.

Frequently asked questions