Indian Cricket Board Domestic Rules: Retiring Midway Equals Dismissal Unless Batter is Injured

As the new domestic season in India is set to kick off on Friday (October 11) with the first round of the Ranji Trophy, the Indian Cricket Board has implemented several significant changes to the playing conditions.

To begin with, the Indian Cricket Board states that if a batter retires for any reason other than injury, he will be deemed out immediately. This means he cannot bat in that innings even if the opposing team's captain has no objection.

The communique to the state teams, sent out on Thursday evening, states, "A] 25.4.3 Batter retiring for any reason other than injury, illness or unavoidable cause: He will be considered as dismissed immediately on retirement and will NOT have the option of returning to bat even with the consent of the opposing captain."

This specific clause ends with a clear assertion: "Applicable for all Indian Cricket Board domestic matches." This new rule will be in effect for all multi-day matches and all limited-over matches. Interestingly, the Indian Cricket Board adds that it can apply even to Super Over situations.

On the bowling front, if a team has applied saliva on the ball, the ball must be changed immediately, along with the imposition of penalties.

The Indian Cricket Board has also revised the rule regarding aborting a run. The new clause states, "Once the batters decide to abort a run after crossing and a boundary results from an overthrow before they have re-crossed, only boundary 4 shall be scored." This change aligns with the agreement reached during the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

Another change pertains to the CK Nayudu competition and points allocation. The new rules detail two scenarios:

Scenario 1: "Team 'A' batting 1st is all out for 398 in 98 overs in the 1st innings (They will get 4 batting points). Team 'A', while fielding, receives 5 penalty runs, making Team A's score now 403 in 98 overs. Team 'A' will now get 5 batting points."

Scenario 2: "Team 'A' batting 1st is all out for 398 in 100.1 overs in the 1st innings (They will get 4 batting points). Team 'A', while fielding, receives 5 penalty runs, making Team A's score now 403 in 100.1 overs. They will not receive the 5th batting point."