Content
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
Table of Contents
- What is “Indoor Cricket”? How is it different from regular outdoor cricket?
- How many overs do bowlers get to bowl?
- How do batsmen get out?
- What do teams get for their entry fee?
- When are matches played?
- How long do indoor cricket matches take?
- What happens if a team is late?
- What format does the tournament follow?
- I play outdoor cricket, where we have to cover a lot more area. Indoor cricket can’t be that much of a workout?
- How do you deal with issues that come up each year? Are there any new rules apart from those discussed already?
- Where are the matches played?
1. What is “Indoor Cricket”? How is it different from regular outdoor cricket?
Indoor cricket is a faster pace of cricket played in a gym. The gym is divided into zones. Each zone has runs allocated to the area, so if the batsman hits the ball into a zone, the batsman gets those runs. In addition, the batsmen can run the runs as well. These runs are added to the runs off the bat.
Each team has 8 members, of which only 6 play in each match. Each inning is 12 overs. Each batting pair bats for their entire 4 overs and tries to score as many runs as they can.
For example:
Six players take the court - to field or to bat.
So, pair 1 is batsmen 1 and 2. They bat 4 overs.
Pair 2 is batsmen 3 and 4. They bat the next 4 overs.
Pair 3 is batsmen 5 and 6. They bat the last 4 overs.
Regarding the bowlers, each bowler bowls 2 non-successive overs for a total of 12 overs.
If one of the pair is out, the pair is given a “minus 5 runs” to the total. After they bat their innings of 4 overs, the next pair bats...and so on. The cumulative runs scores is the teams’ total score.
All runs scored off hits is added to the runs run by the batsmen. Runs off the back wall are scored as 6’s, side walls are 2’s and 4’s. The total runs scored can total between 180 and 225! I think the highest total was over 250!
2. How many overs do bowlers get to bowl?
Each bowler bowls 2 overs, per in inning, from 22 yards.
3. How do batsmen get out?
Batsmen are out the usual way as in regular outdoor cricket.
In addition, side-wall catches are out. Runners run from a pre-determined and pre-measured mark about 10 or 11 yards away from the popping crease.
The only area where wall catches are not out is off the back wall, where sixes are scored.
4. What do teams get for their entry fee?
The costs (for shirts, balls, trophies and gym time) is divided between all the teams equally. Each team pays with one check before the start of the season. It's up to the team captains/contacts to collect the money from their own players.
Each team has a nickname and each player gets a team shirt, which are worn for the games (this is mandatory).
5. When are matches played?
Matches are played when we get time at the facility. SportsBridge has been able to provide us with gym time from 5:30 onwards on Saturdays.
As each match is 90 minutes, the first game if the evening will start at 5:30 SHARP. The second game at 7:00 pm SHARP and the 3rd game of the week at 8:30 SHARP.
See question 7 for late start rules.
6. How long do indoor cricket matches take?
Each inning lasts about 45 minutes and each match takes no more than 90 minutes.
7. What happens if a team is late?
Teams coming in and starting late are docked overs to bat to keep the program on schedule. Forfeits occur after 24 minutes.
If a team has 3 or fewer players they forfeit the match. Period.
8. What format does the tournament follow?
The format is typically round robin with a knock out to wrap up. This is dependent on the gym time we have. Trophies are presented to the winning team immediately after the finals.
See the schedule for details.
9. I play outdoor cricket, where we have to cover a lot more area. Indoor cricket can’t be that much of a workout?
Indoor cricket is actually pretty grueling. Yes, we cover less space when we field in the gym, but the batsmen almost always run on every ball. The fielders are known to throw themselves around fielding the shots and backing up throws at the stumps to run the batsmen out.
When we started a couple of young players in their 20's thought this was a sissy form of cricket because they had played "proper cricket outdoors".
After trying it, they couldn't complete their innings batting! They were on the floor asking for water and oxygen! Because it was a social game subs had to finish batting for them!
10. How do you deal with issues that come up each year? Are there any new rules apart from those discussed already?
We typically have a meeting where each team send one or two members to review the rules in detail and to discuss proposed rules for the year.
In the past, we have had subs and super subs as well. This will be decided by the meeting of team representatives if we should continue it again this year in some form or the other.
11. Where are the matches played?
Please take a look at the Venue Details.
