Game Rules

1.  GENERAL GUIDELINES

1.1   The organising committee reserves the right to amend any rules as required during the tournament. Any amendments will be personally communicated to all   players and officials and must be observed.

1.2   Other than the specific rules mentioned in this document – all other rules shall be as per the latest MCC Laws.

1.3   Fees

1.3.1 Player registration fee: $55 per person. This fee will be collected during the player registration process on playHQ and this fee goes directly to Newcastle Hunters. The player registration fee will also contribute towards the Comp Admin fees (as mentioned in 1.3.2)

1.3.2 The Comp Admin fees will be $460.80 per Team (inclusive of GST). This will apply to all teams and will be paid by Newcastle Hunters on behalf of all participating team. The players don’t have to pay any extra fees contributing to the Comp Admin fees, as the fees is already included in the player registration fees when a player registers in playHQ. The fees go directly to Cricket NSW.

1.3.3 Cricket Australia National Registration fee will be $36.50 per player ($17.50 for Payers under 18), where there will be an exclusion subjected to condition. This is an annual fee which gets accounted from the time period of 16th April to the 15th April the following year. This fee component contributes to the player's insurance, meaning that the individual player's insurance will be covered in case of injuries. This fee goes directly to Cricket Australia.

1.3.4 The match fees will be $220 per team, regardless of the number of players played, if all the participants were adults. If players Under 18 were part of the team, then the team gets $10 discounted per child from the match fees. Teams will consolidate the match fees from their individual players and transfer to the nominated Newcastle Hunters bank account by Tuesday 6PM following the game day.

1.3.4.1  For all completed games where a result has been accomplished, full match fees apply as outlined in rule 1.3.4.

1.3.4.2  If a game is abandoned, the match fees will be as follows, depending on the scenario.

1.3.4.3  If a game is abandoned at any point due to misconduct/unacceptable player behaviour, full match fees apply.

1.3.4.4  The match fees must be transferred to the nominated bank account no later than Tuesday 6PM following the game day.

1.3.4.5  Failure to pay team fees on time will incur an additional 20% match fee fine.

1.4   A player is allowed to represent only one team throughout the tournament. If a player is found to have played for more than one team, the team(s) involved will be penalized, and may forfeit points or matches at the discretion of the tournament committee.

1.5   Team transfers are not possible if a player has represented a team in at least a game.

1.6   During the group stage games, including the Super 10 games, if a game ends in a tie, NO Super-Over will be played. The Super-over rule will be implemented only for the playoffs (For Further details on super over refer to section 13)

1.7  Reserve days for the Preliminary Round and the Super 10 Round will be observed in the following sequence of priority. 

1.7.1 Reserve day will be used for the rounds where ALL matches scheduled in that particular round are washed out or abandoned due to unforeseen interruptions.

1.7.2 If there is no occurrence of an entire round being washed out or abandoned, then whichever round had the most number of games abandoned due to unforeseen interruptions (game suspended for disciplinary reasons will be excluded) will be considered for reschedule. eg; If all games of Round 3 were washed out, then the Round 3 games will be rescheduled to the Reserve day. If 5 games of Round 5 and 8 games of Round 8 were washed out, and there were no rounds were all the games were washed out, then Round 8 will take priority over Round 5 and Round 8 will be rescheduled for the Reserve day.   

1.7.3 No points shall be awarded to either team for the initially scheduled fixture where the match has been successfully rescheduled to another day.

1.7.4 If a rescheduled match on a reserve day is subsequently washed out or abandoned and cannot be completed, 1 point shall be shared and awarded to each team participating in that match. 

The reserve week and day scheduling will be administered as follows:

1.8   For any unforeseen interruptions that happen during the games- Duckworth Lewis Method will be used to implement adjustments to the game (For more information on Length of Innings refer to section 6)

1.9   Match timings will be strictly observed (Refer to Hours of play and interval for more detail in section 5)

1.10  At any given time - only the Captain of a Team must (& has the right to) speak to Umpires or the Organizers in case of a dispute or disagreement. Umpires’ decision should be considered as final, and the match should be played in good spirit. (Refer to section 15 on Code of Conduct for more details)

1.11  In case of a situation where teams share the same number of points the qualification criteria will be in the following specific order - Higher NRR, Head-to-head, Number of wins and Win percentage.

1.12  At the end of the season a Fair Play Award will be rewarded to the team with the most points meeting the appropriate requirements. See rule 16.3 for further details.

1.13  All players are required to wear the supplied NPL playing shirts. Pants/Trousers can be white or coloured, however, all players in the team must wear the same colour.

1.14  Injury and Insurance

1.14.1 All injuries sustained during play should be reported to the Umpire and an organising committee member.

1.14.2 Should any player be injured during play and require medical assistance claimed through insurance by submitting details to Marsh Insurance https://au.marsh.com/sport/cricket-australia/players.html

2.FORMAT 

2.1 There will be 20 participating teams. The teams will be drawn into 2 groups for the initial (prelim) round games.

2.2 Each team will play 9 Prelim round stage games: playing against every participating team in each of their group once.

2.3 The completion of the prelim round stage matches will lead to the next stage of the competition - the Super 10 stage.

      · The Top 5 teams from each group (Group A and Group B) will advance to Super 10 Division 1.

      · The Bottom 5 teams from each group (Group A and Group B) will be placed in Super 10 Division 2.

2.4 Points and Net Run Rate (NRR) accumulated during the group stage games will be carried forward into the Super 10 stage.

2.5 The ladder position of the teams in Super 10 stage are determined on the points/NRR from the Prelim Round

2.6 In the Super 10 stage, teams from Position 1 to 5 from Group A will verse a game each against teams positioned 1 to 5 in Group B. Similarly, teams from Position 6 to Position 10 in Group A will verse a game against teams positioned 6 to 10 in Group B.

2.7 Qualification into Playoffs. Both Division 1 and Division 2 will have separate playoffs. The top four teams (based on the points and NRR) from the Super 10 stages will play 2 qualifiers, and 1 eliminator to shortlist the NPL season finals playing teams.

3.GAME DAY - CONDITIONS & MATCH PROCEDURES

3.1 The matches will consist of one innings per side, each innings being limited to a maximum of 20 overs.

3.2 Venues (Grounds) for the games will be allocated randomly. Wet weather and possible clashes with winter sports may affect ground availability and changes may occur at any time. Always check PlayHQ for the latest ground allocations.

3.3 Boundary cones, stumps, scorebooks will be supplied to every team before the start of the tournament.

3.3.1 On the game day, all home teams will have to own the responsibility of ground management.

3.3.2 A team is a Home Team if their name appears first in the fixture. eg; 9 AM Game: Badshah vs Knights Watchmen - In this game Badshah is the home team, and it will be their responsibility to set up the boundaries, the stumps and mark the inner circle before the game.

3.3.3 12 PM Game: Maitland Monsters vs Newcastle Hunters - In this game, Maitland Monsters is the home team, and it will be their responsibility to collect the boundary cones.

3.4 Scoring

3.4.1 Scoring will be done by the teams themselves.

3.4.2 All games will be live scored through PlayHQ unless technical issues prevent this. The organizers will provide the scoring device on the game day and provide log in details for access to the games. A technical guide on how to set up the scoring on playHQ will be provided to all teams.

3.4.3 A scorebook is also provided if electronic scoring has technical issues. It is recommended that a scorebook Is used in conjunction with the e-scoring in case of technical difficulties.

3.5 Captains shall toss for the choice of innings no later than 15 minutes before the scheduled START OF PLAY

3.5.1 If a team is unable to toss before the commencement time it shall forfeit the right of that choice.

3.6 No switching of ends at the conclusion of an over. The game will be played with designated ends for batting and bowling.

3.7 Umpires

3.7.1 Umpire appointments will be arranged by NDCUA, co-ordinated by Cricket NSW

3.7.2 One official umpire will be appointed to each match.

3.7.3 Square leg umpire will be the next incoming batsman. The primary responsibility of the square leg umpire will be to adjudge stumpings and run outs at the batting end. The final decisions regarding the height of the delivery will be made by the main umpire and not the square leg umpire. The main umpire can consult the square leg umpire if needed, to check the height of the delivery, however, the main umpire will have the complete authority to make the final decision.

3.7.4 At the conclusion of play umpires are to complete a match report and may report to the organising committee any incidents of injury and misconduct. Reports are to be received by 9AM the day following conclusion of play.

3.7.5 At the conclusion of each individual games, the umpires will complete a Fair Play sheet. Refer to 15.3 for additional information.

3.8 The ground conditions, including wet weather conditions will be assessed by the umpires, in preparation to the match readiness. In case if the ground is not deemed fit to play or if it is seen that the conditions pose a risk to the players, the games will be abandoned. The grounds are maintained by the local councils, and the NPL organizers have very little control on altering the ground conditions (e.g., mowing, fixing ground damages etc).

3.8.1 With the unpredictable wet conditions during winter, the condition of the grounds is hard to assess in advance. The ground assessment will be done on the game day morning by Umpires and decision are made at the ground itself.

4.NOMINATION OF PLAYERS

4.1 Teams will consist of 7 - 11 players. Teams who play without a full line up are “All out” at the loss of the last players wicket.

4.2 Team sheets must be completed before the start of play and provided to Umpire and opposition Captain.

4.3 Teams may nominate a 12th player to take part in the match. At any point of time in the game, only 11 players can field, as well as only 11 players can bat. However, if a team has nominated 12 players, one of the 12 must be nominated as a BATTING ONLY player (non-bowling and non-keeping) and one to be BOWLING ONLY (non-batting player and can wicket keep). The non-batter/non-bowler should be mentioned in the team sheet prior to the start of the match.

4.4 Players under the age of 18 are required to wear a helmet when batting, keeping up to the stumps and if fielding within 10m of the on-strike batter. Players under 18 must be clearly identified on the team sheets prior to start of play.

4.5 No player is permitted to play in multiple games at the same time.

4.6 Alterations to the initially provided playing list, due to any unforeseen circumstances (like injury) can be made only with the consent of the opposition team captain.

4.7 The 12th man may also act as a substitute for any player at any point (fielding only).

4.8 Changes if any will also have to be communicated with the umpire at the earliest.

5.HOURS OF PLAY AND INTERVALS

5.1 Intervals between innings shall be of 5 minutes duration. Drinks intervals are not permitted.

5.2 An individual player may be given a drink either on the boundary edge or at the fall of a wicket, on the field, provided that no playing time is wasted.

5.3 Time penalties apply for not completing overs within stipulated allowances. It will be the captain’s responsibility to make sure that the innings is completed within the stipulated time, and the failure to adhere to the time management will be penalized with shortened overs or reduced target, depending on the situation, and as judged by the umpires and or officials.

5.4 PENALTY FOR IMPROPER TIME MANAGEMENT

5.4.1   Team bowling first exceeds the allocated time

1.  The 1st innings will continue until completed and,

2.  The team batting 2nd shall be penalised by reducing their batting innings by one over every 4 minutes

5.4.2   Team bowling second exceeds the allocated time

1.   The 2nd innings will continue until completed and,

2.   The team batting 2nd shall receive 5 penalty runs per over for every 4 minutes past the time the 2nd innings was supposed to finish. Eg; If the 2nd innings was supposed to finish at 12PM and the team bowling 2nd has completed only 18 overs at 12PM (Team bowling 2nd is now 2 overs behind), then the team bowling 2nd must complete those 2 overs with any runs scored + 10 penalty runs added. (5 runs per over).

6.LENGTH OF INNINGS 

6.1 UNINTERRUPTED MATCHES

6.1.1 Each team shall bat for 20 overs unless they are bowled out earlier. If the team batting first is dismissed in fewer than 20 overs, the team batting second shall be entitled to bat for 20 overs.

6.2 DELAYED OR INTERRUPTED MATCHES

6.2.1 Games interrupted due to natural causes will have a 15-minute leeway time in total, across both innings, meaning, there will be no over reduction for this time period.

6.3 DELAY OR INTERRUPTION TO THE INNINGS OF THE TEAM BATTING FIRST

6.3.1   When playing time has been lost the revised number of overs to be bowled in the match shall be based on a rate of 1 over per every four minutes lost.

6.3.2   The umpire will advise the captains about the overs to be reduced. Overs will be calculated using Duckworth, Lewis, Stern 4.0 method (or any updated version) and details will be directly entered into PlayHQ E-Scoring portal for calculation.

6.3.3   The innings break is 5 minutes; however, a reduction is possible to ensure the completion of a game.

6.4   DELAY OR INTERRUPTION TO THE INNINGS OF THE TEAM BATTING SECOND

6.4.1   When playing time has been lost and, as a result, it is not possible for the team batting second to have the opportunity of receiving its allocated, or revised allocation of overs in the playing time available, the number of overs shall be reduced at a rate of 1 over per every four minutes lost. Should the calculations result in a fraction of an over the fraction shall be rounded up to the next full over.

6.4.2   The umpire will advise the captains about the overs to be reduced. Overs will be calculated using Duckworth, Lewis, Stern 4.0 method (or any updated version) and details will be directly entered into PlayHQ E-Scoring portal for calculation.

6.4.3   To constitute a match, a minimum of 5 overs must be bowled to the side batting second, subject to a result not being achieved earlier or the entire team has been dismissed.

6.4.4   The team batting second shall not bat for a greater number of overs than the first team unless the latter completed its innings in less than its allocated overs.

7.BOWLING PROCEDURE

7.1 No bowler can bowl more than one-fifth of the total allotted overs. Where play is delayed or interrupted during the first innings and total overs are consequently reduced for both teams, no player can bowl more than one-fifth of the total overs allowed, unless such a number has been exceeded before the interruption.

7.2 Maximum of one bouncer is allowed per over. Bouncer is defined as a short-pitched ball that bounces once and then reaches the batter at head-height, which remains to be above shoulder and under the head of the striker standing upright at the popping crease. This will be signalled by the umpire. Subsequent bouncers will result in a no ball.

7.3 A bouncer that passes clearly above the head height of the batsman will be considered a No ball and also will be given as a "one for the over bouncer", if it is the first one of the over. Any further bouncers will be called a no-ball. 

7.4 Free hit rule applies. Any form of a no-ball will constitute a free hit.

7.5 All deliveries down leg-side will be classified as a wide.

8.FREE HIT

8.1 The delivery following any type of No ball shall be a ‘free hit’ for whichever batter is facing it. If the next delivery for the free hit is also not a legitimate delivery (another no ball or a wide), then the next delivery becomes a free hit for whichever batter is facing it. Field changes are not permitted unless there is a change of striker.

8.2 For any free hit, the striker may only be dismissed under the circumstances that apply for a no ball, even if the free hit delivery is a wide ball. All such penalties are in addition to any runs that may be otherwise scored.

9.CANCELLATION OF GAMES / FORFEITS

9.1 All games are assumed ON, unless advised by the organising committee or Umpires.

9.1.1   In the event of game cancellation Captains will be informed on a phone messaging platform (SMS or Whatsapp). It is the responsibility of the captain to inform the team.

9.2 Any teams that fails to arrive for a match as per the schedule will forfeit the match and will be declared as a “No Show”

9.3 Teams forfeiting on match day will incur both points and financial penalties.

9.4 The scorecard for a forfeit game will read as: The team that did not forfeit will be entered as batting 1st and the forfeited team will be entered as batting 2nd. The 1st innings score will be recorded as 120 runs for 0 wickets in 20 overs. The team that forfeits will be awarded 0 runs for 10 wickets in 1.4 overs.

9.5 Penalties

9.5.1   Forfeit team will receive (-2) points for the game, and the opponent will receive (2) points.

9.5.2   A team that forfeits 3 x times in the season will be replaced in the league and not eligible for any awards at the end of the season.

9.5.3   Forfeit fines!

10.FIELDING RESTRICTIONS

10.1  At the instant of delivery there shall not be more than five fielders on the leg side.

10.2  POWERPLAY rules will apply for the first 6 overs of the game. No more than 2 fielders will be allowed outside the inner circle during the first 6 overs of both innings.

10.3  After the first 6 overs only a maximum of 5 fielders may stay outside the inner circle.

10.4  There may be no more than two fielders, other than the wicket-keeper, standing in the quadrant of the field behind square leg.

10.5  Wherever possible, the inner circles will be marked. However, in the case where the inner circle is not marked, an imaginary circle will be assumed. The umpires will be the sole judges of the definition of the imaginary circle.

11.THE BALL

11.1   A new ball will be provided per innings for all the matches in the tournament.

11.2   During play, if a ball gets lost or is deemed to be damaged by the umpires; the ball will be replaced with a used ball, unless it is the 1st over of the innings. In case the ball is lost in the 1st over, the ball will be replaced with a new ball. The ball getting soggy due to wet conditions will not be considered damaged, and hence not be replaced. This clause is not applicable to the conditions covered by clause 11.4

11.3   With the games being played in winter, dew will be a factor to be considered, especially for the morning games. It will be the captain’s responsibility to make sure that the condition of the ball is well maintained throughout the innings. Keeping a towel while fielding is highly recommended.

11.4   For morning matches only, considering the possible effect of dew, the umpire may allow the match ball to be replaced with a used ball after the first 10 overs of both innings, if requested at the start of the 10th over by either the bowling team captain or either batsman at the crease. The decision will be at the sole discretion of the umpire. This option may be used only once and is not available at any other time during the match.

12.THE RESULT

12.1      Providing there is no interruption after play has commenced and both sides have had the opportunity of batting for the same agreed number of overs, the team scoring the higher number of runs shall be the winner.

12.2      For all the league round games, the points awarded for a game will be as follows.

13.SUPER OVER

13.1   Super-over rule will be implemented only for the playoffs. For the playoff games, in the event of a tie, a ‘Super-Over’' will be contested to achieve a result.

13.2   One over, per team, is bowled after the conclusion of a T20 game that ends in a tie.

13.3   Each team decides on one bowler to bowl and three batters to bat during this one over game.

13.4   The team batting second in the match, will bat first in the Super Over.

13.5   The same ball used at the end of the team’s innings shall be used for the Super Over.

13.6   Each team’s over is played with the same fielding restrictions as those that are in place for the last over of a normal T20 match.

13.7   The loss of two wickets in the Super Over ends the team’s Super Over innings.

13.8   Team A’s total run score from the first over is to be chased by Team B to successfully to win the match. If Team B is unable to chase this total, Team A wins.

13.9   In the case scores are level again, another super over will be conducted with the team batting second in the first super over to bat first in the new super over.

14.DECLARATION OF INNINGS

14.1   The captain of the batting side may not declare his innings closed at any time during a match.

15.CODE OF CONDUCT

15.1  All the teams will play in good spirit and maintain the decorum of the game. The umpires, match referees and organizing committee will have full powers to enquire and take decisions on any matters that appear to be not “in the spirit of the game”. Teams will comply with any decisions taken by the executive committee.

15.2  To maintain the tradition of cricket, the players involved in any match will not be allowed on the ground wearing casual dress like Singlets, shorts and thongs.

15.3  In case of a dispute regarding a hit for 4/6 runs and/or a catch at the boundary, fielders are advised to stay put and help the umpire make the decision by holding their ground. Benefit of doubt shall always go to the batter.

15.4  At all instances the umpire must be treated with utmost respect.

15.5  Penalties for misbehaviour towards umpires, officials and players could vary and may result in game suspensions.

15.6  The detailed processes and procedures on the Code of Conduct will be published as a separate document. It is the players' and specifically the captain’s responsibility to make sure that they are aware of the Code of Conduct.

15.6.1 All reports of games incidents, disputing of game results and/or player misconduct must be completed on the INCIDENT REPORT FORM and submitted by email to the competition League Manager by 6pm on the Tuesday following the game. admin@nplt20.com.au

16.PRIZES AND AWARDS

17.1   The restrictions on a player representing a team will be as follows.

17.1.1 An individual player can represent only one team, which would be his home team. Consensual team transfer of player between 2 teams is possible only if he has registered for a team but has not represented that team in any games, ie, if a player registers for a team and then represents that team in a game where at least one ball is bowled, then he will not be eligible for a transfer to any other teams.

17.1.2 In case if the player underwent a consensual team transfer, his new team will be referred to as the home team

17.1.3 For a game, a team needs to have a minimum of 7 players.

17.2  For a player to be eligible to represent his home team in the Play-Offs, he should have played a minimum of 30% of the games prior to the Play-Off round that his team has played through the season (the Prelim rounds, and the Super 10 rounds combined). Games that get abandoned without a single ball being bowled will be excluded while counting the total number of games played

17.3  While registering for NPL, the players automatically register with their home team (the registration link is distinct for each team).

17.4  There will be two category of playoffs – Division 1 Playoff and Division 2 Playoff. The top 4 teams (determined based on the points/NRR) at the end of Super 10, in both Division 1 and Division 2, will qualify for the playoffs. 

17.4.1 For both Division 1 and Division 2, the following will be the schedule of the playoffs.

        

17.5   As mentioned in 1.7, the Playoff matches for both Division 1 and Division 2 are scheduled on a Saturday, instead of the regular Sunday fixture. The official reserve day would be the next consecutive day (Sunday)

17.6   If games are not possible on the reserve day, then the results of the Qualifier 1, Eliminator and Qualifier 2 (as highlighted in the above figure) games will be decided by the positions in the table after the league round games.

17.7   If Qualifier 1 gets washed out, then the “1st place team” will be declared winners, and they will automatically qualify for the Grand Finals. The “2nd place team” will have to play the “Qualifier 2”

17.8   If Eliminator gets washed out, then the “3rd place team” will be declared winners of the Eliminator game, and they will automatically qualify for the Qualifier 2 game. The “4th place team” will be eliminated from the playoffs.

17.9   If Qualifier 2 gets washed out, then “Loser Qualifier 1” will be declared as winners and they will automatically qualify for the Grand Finals, and the “Winner Eliminator” will be eliminated from the play offs.

18   GRAND FINALS

18   GRAND FINALS

18.1  Both Division 1 and Division 2 will have separate Grand Finals. 

18.2  The teams that qualify from the playoff stage will play the Grand Finals. In case of the Grand Finals not being possible on the scheduled day, a reserve day will be allocated. Refer to 1.7 for details. If Grand Finals are not possible on the reserve day as well, then the winner of the Qualifier 1 match from the playoff round will be declared as NPL Champions for that corresponding Division. 

16.1  The following achievement awards will be given away every week.

•   Super Striker of the Week

• Economic Bowler of the Week

• Lightning Bowler of the Week

• Player of the Week.

16.2  The competition winners and runners up will take home cash prizes.

16.3  Fair Play Awards – Calculated weekly and awarded at the end of the season.

16.3.1   The umpires will be the sole judges of this category. For every individual game, each team will be granted points by the umpires based on the following criteria.