Action Premier League

RULES
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Playing Conditions Summary

  • A game is played between two teams, each with a maximum of eight players.
  • Each inning consists of eight six-ball overs.
  • Three players may bowl a maximum of two overs.
  • The batting team bats in pairs with each pair batting for two overs.
  • Batters continue batting for the entire two overs, regardless of whether they are dismissed or not.
  • The run deduction for a dismissal will be five runs. Bowled, Stumped, Runout, Catch, Hit wicket, & Mankad. A catch may be taken off all boundary netting/wall except a direct hit on the full to the back net/wall (Zone D).
  • The Team compiling the highest number of runs at the end of 8 overs will be the winner.
  • No more than four fielders may field in Zone C & D from the moment the bowler commences their run up until the ball leaves the bowler’s hand. There are no field restrictions for Zone B.

  • Two runs for wide and no-ball. The ball must be re-bowled.
  • Physical runs will be added to the zone runs except for Zone D. If there is an overthrow only physical runs can be taken for the overthrow, not the zone runs.
  • No LBW. If the batter offered a shot, they could get physical runs.

Playing Conditions Summary

RULE.1 THE TEAM

  1. A game is played between two teams, each with a maximum of eight players.
    1. No team can play with less than six players.
    1. It is nice to have players who are under the age of 25 in your squad.
    1. It is nice to have players who are over the age of 50 in your squad.
  2. Each team must nominate a captain for each game.
  3. A game must proceed when scheduled if a minimum of six players for each team is present.
    1. The toss requires a minimum of 6 players to be present 10 minutes before the scheduled time; otherwise, the opposing team will automatically win the toss.
  4. Each player is required to sign the waiver form before participating in their initial match. The umpire will not permit any player to access the field without completing the waiver form.

RULE.2 THE GAME

  1. The game consists of one batting and one bowling inning per team.
  2. Each inning consists of eight six-ball overs.
  3. The run deduction for a dismissal will be five runs, and other penalties (i.e., misconduct, uniform penalties, etc.) will be five runs or multiples of five runs.
    1. The penalties will be enforced by the umpire or the league officials only.
  4. Three players may bowl a maximum of two overs.
  5. Prior to the start of each over the umpire must be advised of the bowler’s name.
    1. A roster of the players and substitutes must be given to the umpire at the beginning of the game.
  6. A bowler must not bowl two consecutive overs.
  7. A delivery commences from the moment a bowler (with the ball in their hand) starts their run up and continues until the same time of the next delivery.
  8. A batting innings is divided into four sections (partnerships), with each section consisting of two overs.
  9. The batting team bats in pairs with each pair batting for two overs. Upon arrival at the batting crease the batters must inform the umpire of their respective names.
  10. Batters continue batting for the entire two overs, regardless of whether they are dismissed or not. When a player is dismissed, five runs are deducted from their team’s score. If the batter is out, they must rotate and have the runner bat for the next ball. 
  11. Batters must change ends at the completion of each over.
  12. No batter may bat more than once (except as where stated in Rule.8).
  13. A team may not declare, and innings closed.
  14. The Team compiling the higher number of runs will be the winner.

RULE.3 UNIFORMS

Teams must be dressed as follows:

  1. Tops.
    1. Matching colour shirts (leisure shirt or T-shirt)
    1. Teams may combine their shirt styles, but colours and logos must still be matching.
  • Pants
    • Males – long sports pants.
    • Females – long sports pants.
    • Jeans or shorts are not permitted.
  • Footwear
    • Rubber-soled sports shoes that will not mark the court surface.
    • Players in socks, bare feet or in leather soled shoes will not be permitted on court.
  • A penalty of five runs will be deducted from a team’s batting score for every unacceptable item of apparel.
  • The team batting first will have any uniform penalties deducted at the start of the offending player’s partnership.
  • The team batting second will have any uniform penalties deducted at the commencement of the second innings.
  • Umpires are not to “square off” the uniform penalties of one team against another.
  • The maximum team penalty for incorrect uniforms in any match shall be twenty runs.
  • Captains may not appeal for uniform penalties after the commencement of the second over of the second innings.
  • The umpire will be the initial judge of the correctness of a uniform. However, in the event of a dispute, particularly regarding colour, the duty manager or tournament director will have the final decision.

RULE.4 THE TOSS

  1. The umpire or a person delegated by the tournament organizer will toss a coin or token to determine the order of the innings. The umpire will advise which team is to call.
  2. Teams may negotiate the order of innings prior to the toss with the consent of the umpire, duty manager or tournament organizer.
  3. The toss requires a minimum of 6 players to be present 10 minutes before the scheduled time; otherwise, the opposing team will automatically win the toss.

RULE.5 THE UMPIRE

  1. Before each game, an umpire will be appointed to adjudicate the rules of the game with absolute impartiality.
  2. Teams will have no choice in the appointment of the umpire.
  3. The umpire may only be changed at the discretion of the duty manager or tournament organizer.
  4. The umpire’s decision during the game is final. No dispute, written or otherwise, will alter the result.
  5. The umpire will be the sole judge of fair and unfair play.
  6. The captain of the fielding side or the batter at wicket may query an umpire’s decision. Once the umpire has replied, any further talking to, at or about the umpire, or their decision, may be penalized.
    1. Any verbal abuse by a player given a warning at first by the umpire.
    1. The second warning in a game will result in 5 minus runs.
    1. A third warning in a game will result in expelled from the game and a fine of $100 to the team.
  • The fourth warning, including the previous three warnings will result in a fine of $500 to the team and the player getting expelled for the next 3 games.
    • The fifth warning, including the previous four warnings will result in a fine of $1,000 to the team and the player getting expelled for the season. The player can be reregistered for the next season, however, a reappointing fee of $500 must be paid by the team.

RULE.6 ARRIVAL/LATE PLAYERS

  1. All teams are to be present at the court allocated for their match to do the toss 10 minutes prior to the scheduled commencement of their game.
  2. Any team failing to arrive on time will forfeit the right to a toss. The non-offending team can choose to field first or wait until the offending team has six players present and bat first.
  3. If both teams are late, the first team to have six players present will have the right to choose their batting innings.
  4. All forfeits will be declared at the discretion of the duty manager or tournament organizer.
  5. Individual player(s) arriving late may take part in the match providing their arrival is before the commencement of the 4th over of the first innings.
  6. A team captain may ask for the consent of the duty manager or tournament organizer to allow a late player to participate after the 4th over of the first innings. This player may not bat or bowl and is regarded as a late player, not a substitute, and may keep wickets if their team is fielding.
  7. Any player known and expected to arrive late must be nominated by the team captain to the opposition captain, umpire and the duty manager or tournament organizer prior to the commencement of the game.
  8. Players, who arrive late to the field, must wait until the end of the over in progress before entering the court.
  9. No late player will be accepted to the game at the completion of the 5th over.  This goes to the batting and to the fielding team.

RULE.7 PLAYER SHORT/SUBSTITUTE/INJURED PLAYERS

  1. Player Short
    1. If a team is one player short:
      1. When batting first or second – after six overs, the captain of the fielding side will nominate one player to bat again in the last two overs with the remaining batter.
    1. If a team is two players short:
      1. When batting first or second – after six overs, the captain of the fielding side will choose two players to bat again in the last two overs.
  2. Substitutes
    1. A substitute player is one who joins the game, after it has officially commenced, to replace an existing player who is incapable of completing the game due to injury or illness suffered during the game. This may only occur on the approval of the umpire and/or duty manager or tournament organizer.
  • Substitutes only apply to a team’s fielding innings. Batters who are unable to complete their allocated overs due to injury or illness are not substituted, but merely replaced by a nominated team member.
    • A substitute player cannot bat, bowl or keep wickets.
    • A substitute must be in the correct uniform or uniform penalties will apply.
    • A team may not use a substitute pending the late arrival of a nominated player.
    • Once substituted, a player may take no further part in the match.
  • Injured Players
    • Injuries to players are classified into two categories. These two categories are, players who suffer blood related injuries and players who suffer non-blood related injuries:
    • Blood Related Injuries
      • A player suffering a blood related injury must leave the court for further treatment unless the bleeding can be contained within a maximum of two minutes. The injured player should ensure that no blood contaminates the court, or its fittings or fixtures.
      • The injured player must remove and replace any blood-contaminated clothing and wash off any blood on their body before rejoining the game.
      • Players must leave the court to have any surface blood washed off their bodies.
      • A player, leaving the court for a blood-related injury, is entitled to have a “Blood Replacement Player” take the court, on their behalf, until the injury has been attended to.
      • If the injured player is unable to return to the game, the Blood Replacement Player will continue the game as a Substitute Player.
      • Any player that leaves the court to attend to a blood-related injury must wait until the end of the over in progress before returning to the game.
      • The injured player must receive a clearance from the umpire before rejoining the game.
      • A blood replacement player is not able to bat, bowl or keep wickets.
      • In the case of a Blood-Related injury, the following conditions will apply:
  • When batting – The captain of the fielding side will nominate one player from the injured player’s team to bat with the remaining batter. This must be done at the time of the injury.
  • When fielding – If the player is injured whilst bowling, the captain of the batting side will nominate one player from the injured player’s team to complete the over.
  • Non-Blood Related Injuries
    • Players who suffer non-blood related injuries will be entitled to a maximum of two minutes to attend to their injuries.
      • After this time, if the player is not ready to recommence play, the umpire will ask the player to leave the court to recover from their injuries.
      • Provided they have not been substituted, a player may return to the game after they have recovered from their injuries.
      • Any player that leaves the court to attend to an injury must wait until the end of the over in progress before returning to the game.
      • Any substitute who replaces an injured player cannot bat, bowl or keep wickets.
      • If a batter is injured, the captain of the fielding side will nominate one player from the batting team to complete the injured batter’s remaining overs.
  • If a bowler is injured during their over, one player is to be nominated to complete the over by the batting side.

RULE.8 FIELD PLACEMENT

  1. Fielders Per Half Court
    1. The court is divided into two halves with the dividing line. No more than four fielders may field in Zone C & D from the moment the bowler commences their run up until the ball leaves the bowler’s hand. On the line is considered in the other half. If this rule is contravened, the umpire will call “No Ball”. There are no field restrictions for Zone B.
    1. Fielders on the Pitch

With the exception of the bowler, no fielder (including a wicketkeeper), can move on or extend over the pitch from the commencement of the bowler’s run up until the ball is played at by the batter or passes the striker’s wickets. If this rule is contravened, the umpire will call “No Ball”.

RULE.9 PLAY BALL/LIVE BALL/DEAD BALL

  1. Play Ball/Live Ball
    1. The game commences once the players take their positions and the umpire calls “Play”.
    1. The ball remains “live” throughout the over unless the umpire calls “Dead Ball”, or “Over” or a wicket falls.
    1. Play cannot recommence after the fall of a wicket or a call of “Dead Ball” or before the start of a new over, until the umpire calls “Play”.
    1. It is the batter’s responsibility to have taken strike when the bowler is ready to bowl provided the batter has been given reasonable time to do so. The umpire will be the sole judge of what is “reasonable time”.
  2. Automatic Dead Balls
    1. No runs can be scored, or wickets lost. The ball must be re-bowled.
    1. The bails are off either set of stumps when the bowler commences their run-up.

RULE.10 SCORING ZONES

  1. When both batters cross between the batting crease and the non-striker’s crease and make good their ground, one run is scored, this is called a “physical” run.
  2. Scoring zones below. (PIC)
  3. When a fielder causes an overthrow, physical runs will be scored when the batters cross between the batting crease and the non-striker’s crease and make good their ground. An “overthrow” results from the deliberate effort of a fielder throwing, flicking, slapping or kicking the ball in an attempt to strike the wicket and cause a run out, or at any other time the ball is live.
  4. The batting team will be credited with a two run penalty when the umpire calls a delivery “No Ball”. If the batter plays a “No Ball” into a scoring zone, the zone score and the physical runs made will be added to the two run penalty.
  5. The batting team will be credited with a two run penalty when the umpire calls a delivery “Wide” or “Leg-side” and any physical runs made from such a delivery will be added to the two run penalty.
  • If in the opinion of the umpire, the fielder, whilst attempting to run out the batter, does not have “reasonable control” of the ball and it hits a scoring zone, the relevant bonus runs will apply.
  • If a batter is given “Out”, the batting team will lose five runs and all previous runs scored from that delivery will not count.
  • In case of a scoreboard error, unless the captain of the fielding team or the batters at the wicket appeal about the score before the commencement of a new over, or before the players leave the court in the case of the last over of each innings, the scoreboard will be assumed to be correct. A diagram of a cricket field Description automatically generated

RULE.11 NO BALL

A “No Ball” will be called when;

  1. The ball is thrown, not bowled. If the umpire is not totally satisfied with the fairness of the delivery, “No Ball” will be called at the moment of delivery. (Note: As a guide, the bowler’s arm must not be straightened in the delivery action. If the elbow remains bent throughout the delivery, it may be a fair delivery).
  2. Any part of the bowler’s front foot is not grounded inside the return crease and behind the popping crease at the moment of delivery. (Note: Any part of the front foot on the line is a “No Ball”).
  3. There are more than four fielders in either half of the court at the commencement of the bowler’s run up. (See Rule 9.1).
  4. A “No Ball” incurs a penalty of two runs, which is added to the batting pair’s score. Runs scored by hitting any net zone and/or physical runs are also added to the score.

RULE.12 WIDE AND LEGSIDE WIDE BALLS

  1. A “Wide” will be called when any part of the ball passes on the striker’s offside, outside the intersection of the batting crease and the edge of the pitch, without being touched by the striker’s person or equipment. Any part of the ball passing on the line will be deemed “Wide”.
  • A “Leg-side” wide will be called when any part of the ball passes outside the intersection of the batting crease and the leg-side line without being touched by the striker’s person or equipment. A ball passing between the batter and the stumps is not a leg-side wide.
  • Any part of the ball passing on the line will be deemed “Leg-side”.
  • The penalty for a “Wide” is two runs, which will be added to the batting pair’s score, plus any additional physical runs scored.

RULE.13 APPEALS FOR DISMISSALS

  1. The umpire will not give a batter out unless appealed to by the opposing team. An appeal must be made prior to the next ball being bowled.
  2. An appeal will cover all ways of a dismissal.
  3. The umpire will have final jurisdiction on all appeals and retains the right to alter their decision provided it is done promptly.

RULE.14 DISMISSALS

  1. The striking batter will retain the strike, after being dismissed, unless the batters have crossed prior to the dismissal. A batter who is dismissed “Bowled” or “Leg Before Wicket” will retain the strike irrespective of the batter crossing.
  2. A batter can be given “out” for any of the following dismissals.
  3. Bowled
    1. If the wickets are struck by the ball, including coming from the batter’s person or equipment, and at least one of the bails is completely and permanently removed. Note: The base plate of the stumps is considered to be part of the wickets.
  4. Caught
    1. If a ball, coming from the striker’s bat or their hand(s) holding the bat, is caught before it touches the ground. The striker will be out “Caught” should the ball pass from the bat onto the striker’s body, or vice versa, before being caught.
    1. A catch may be taken off all boundary netting except a direct hit on the full to the back net (Zone D). A ball passing from a fielder’s hand or body directly onto the 6 net, on the full, and then caught, will result in the striker being not out and the bonus runs will count. The striker will be out “Caught” if a ball is hit into the side netting (Zones B or C before passing onto the back net (Zone D) and is caught without touching the ground.
    1. Should a ball hit the non-striker and then be caught before touching the ground, the striker will be out.
    1. The striker will be given out if the ball is caught after it has come from their bat or the hand(s) holding the bat and then deflected onto their protective equipment.
  5. Stumped & Run Out
  6. L.B.W – No LBW out is given in this league.
  7. Hit Wicket
  8. Mankad

RULE.15 MISCONDUCT

  1. Any misconduct may incur a run penalty at the discretion of the umpire. No warning needs to precede the application of this penalty. Any act of misconduct may result in the player(s) being ordered off the court by the umpire.
  2. The maximum penalty for any single rule violation is five runs. In the case of misconduct related violations, the penalties can range in multiples of five to a maximum of twenty, depending on the severity of the violation.
  3. Umpires must use their discretion when determining if run penalties are warranted for misconduct. Players may be warned prior to being penalised, but this is not a pre-requisite.
  4. Any of the following may constitute misconduct:;
    1. Dangerous or unduly rough play.
    1. Swearing or making obscene gestures.
    1. Deliberate physical contact or fighting.
    1. Unfair play
    1. Spitting.
    1. Sledging (e.g. Any baiting, harassment, gestures, words or actions, which may interfere with the play or concentration of an opponent).
    1. Mistreatment of equipment (e.g. Bats, nets, carpets, stumps or balls).
    1. Deliberate time wasting.
    1. Any player deliberately stepping on the walls.
    1. Disputing or arguing with the umpire.
  5. Note – The captain of the fielding side or the batter at the wicket may query an umpire’s decision. Once the umpire has replied, any further talking to, at or about the umpire, or their decision, may be penalized. (See. Rule number 5.)
  6. Any player incurring two misconduct penalties for any reason must be ordered off for the rest of the game by the umpire.

RULE.16 END OF OVER/GAME

  1. An over is completed when off the last delivery;
    1. The ball is fielded and held over the stumps at either end whilst at least one batter is in the crease and the umpire calls “Over”.
    1. All players on the court regard the ball as being “Dead” (i.e. No further play is possible).
    1. A wicket falls, excluding a mankad (subject to it being a legal delivery) and the umpire calls “Over”.
    1. The umpire will end the match by calling “Game” after all of the prescribed overs have been bowled.
    1. No run penalties may be imposed after the umpire calls “Game”.
    1. Any misconduct occurring after “Game” has been called should be referred to the duty manager or tournament organiser for possible further action.

RULE.17 SCORING SYSTEM

  1. The intention of this scoring system is to provide further strategy and interest in all matches regardless of the total team scores, and the following match points will be awarded under this system;
  2. Win 4 Points
  3. Draw 2 Points
  4. Loss 1 Points

RULE.18 LADDER POSITION

  1. Points: When determining the order or teams at the end of all Round-Robin games, the positions will be determined by points.
  2. Net Run Rate: Run difference is calculated by dividing the number of runs scored by a team by the number of runs conceded by that team for a percentage result.
  3. For the purpose of determining the final ladder positions, any matches drawn or tied by a team will be counted as one half of one win.

RULE.19 PLAYER ELIGIBILITY AND FINALS QUALIFICATION

  1. To become qualified to play playoffs a player must have played at least one-third of round-robin games to the nearest whole game.

RULE.20 LEAGUE FORMAT

  1. 10 teams will be admitted to this league. Every team will play against each other in the round-robin stage. The first 4 teams will be qualified for the playoffs.
  2. First playoff match: Qualifier 1 is the first match of the APL playoffs, which is played between the teams placed first and second on the league table. Whoever wins it reaches the final and the loser gets to play Qualifier 2.
  3. Second playoff match: Eliminator is the second match of the APL playoffs, which is played between the teams placed third and fourth on the league table. Whoever wins it reaches the Qualifier 2.
  4. Third playoff match: Qualifier 2 is the third match of the APL playoffs, played between the team that wins the Eliminator and lost the Qualifier 1.
  5. Final match: Final match will be played between the qualified teams from the Qualifier 1 and Qualifier 2.

END OF RULES

  1. All teams should also make sure that they read a copy of our rule book so that they are fully aware of all playing conditions pertaining to our seasonal competitions.
  2. ICC rules will apply where the rules are not mentioned in this rule book.