1. Player Classifications & Team Composition

To ensure fair play, the 11 players on the field are divided into three distinct categories based on their level of visual impairment:

• B1 (Totally Blind): Players with no light perception in either eye, or the inability to recognize the shape of a hand at any distance. They must wear black-out glasses while playing to standardize visual restriction.

   

• B2 (Partially Blind): Players who can recognize the shape of a hand up to a visual acuity of 2/60.

   

• B3 (Partially Sighted): Players with visual acuity from 2/60 up to 6/60.

   

The Playing XI Composition:

Every team must maintain a balanced mix of these categories on the pitch:

• Minimum of 4 B1 players

   

• Minimum of 3 B2 players

   

• Maximum of 4 B3 players

   

Identification: To help umpires and players identify categories, players wear colored wristbands or arm stripes (White/1 stripe for B1, Red/2 stripes for B2, and Blue/3 stripes for B3).

 

2. Specialized Equipment & Pitch

• The Ball: Considerably larger than a standard cricket ball, it is made of hollow plastic and filled with metal ball bearings. This creates a distinct rattling sound when in motion, allowing players to track it by ear.

   

• The Wickets: The stumps are larger, made of metal tubes, and painted in bright fluorescent orange or yellow so partially sighted players can see them. No bails are used.

   

• The Ground: The pitch is the standard 22 yards, but the boundary size is shorter—ranging between a minimum of 45 yards to a maximum of 55 yards.

   

3. Bowling Rules

Bowling requires the most technical adjustments to maintain safety and tracking:

• Underarm Only: All bowling deliveries must be delivered underarm. At the release point, the arm must be below the shoulder.

   

• Bouncing Rules: When bowling to a B1 batsman, the ball must pitch (bounce) at least twice before reaching the batter and must not be rolling. When bowling to B2 or B3 batsmen, it must pitch at least once.

   

• Verbal Cues (Mandatory):

   

  1. The bowler must ask the batsman, “Ready?”

  2. The batsman must reply, “Yes!”

  3. At the exact moment of releasing the ball, the bowler must shout, “Play!” Failure to say “Play,” or saying it too early/late, results in an immediate No-Ball.

4. Batting & Scoring Rules

• The Sweep Shot: Batting heavily relies on the “sweep shot” to maximize the surface area of the bat hitting a ball rolling low on the ground.

   

• Run Multipliers for B1: Because running is exceptionally difficult for totally blind players, every run scored by a B1 batsman counts as double (e.g., hitting a boundary counts as 8 runs instead of 4).

   

• Runners: B1 batters are automatically assigned a sighted or partially sighted runner. B2 batters have the option to use one.

   

• Dismissal Exceptions:

  • A B1 batsman cannot be stumped out.

     

  • A B1 batsman can only be given out Leg Before Wicket (LBW) if they are found at fault twice in the same instance.

5. Fielding Rules

• One-Bounce Catches: If a B1 fielder catches the ball cleanly after one bounce, the batsman is declared Out (caught).

   

• Wicketkeeper Cues: The wicketkeeper plays a vital role by constantly shouting and clapping to give directional sound cues to the bowler and fielders so they know where the stumps and the ball are.