Blind cricket is real and is an internationally played form of cricket. India successfully defended their title in the T20 Blind World Cup on Sunday at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore by beating arch-rivals Pakistan in the final by nine wickets.

Our blind cricket team won the blind T20 cricket World Cup in 2012 and successfully defended their title against Pakistan. However, everyone has a burning question on their mind. How exactly would cricket be played by people with a visual impairment? Here is how it’s played.

Blind cricket was invented in the year 1922 by two blind factory workers in Melbourne. The game started with nothing more than a tin can filled with rocks which eventually evolved into a hollow ball made of wicker. Today, the game is played on an international level with several sophisticated rules and regulations over and above the standard rules of cricket.

But how exactly is blind cricket played?

The pitch, bat, and stumps remain same as the standard way that cricket is played. The boundaries should be a minimum of 45 and maximum of 50 yards from the center circle.

The Ball: The ball is made of plastic and has ball bearings inside that make a heavy crackling sound to allow the players to track the ball’s trajectory and movement. It tends to be larger than the standard cricket ball.

Wickets: The wickets are made up of hollow metal pipes and painted in bright fluorescent colours like orange or yellow. Standard modes of dismissal apply. Catches on one bounce by completely blind (B1) players will be treated as legitimate.

Bowling: Bowling is strictly underarm and yorkers and beamers are a strict no-no. A line is drawn halfway through the pitch and the bowler can’t pitch the ball in full ahead of the line. 40% of the overs bowled in the innings must be by a completely blind (B1) player.

Failure to do so results in a no-ball. Before each ball, certain audio cues are exchanged between the bowler and the batsman.

When the bowler is set to bowl he says “Ready” to which the batsman responds “Yes”. Then, at the point of delivery, before releasing the ball, the bowler must say “Play” and release the ball without any delay.

Scoring: All runs scored by completely blind (B1) players will be doubled, other standard scoring rules apply. No-balls will result in a free-hit. 

Blind Team Squad Rules: 

Teams in blind cricket are composed of 4 completely blind players (B1), 3 partially blind players (B2) and a maximum of 4 partially sighted players (B3).

Match Duration:

A standard match usually goes on for three days with each side bowling 40 overs. Every run scored by a B1 player shall be doubled and credited to the batsman.

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The concept of blind cricket truly embodies the spirit of sportsmanship. After the mainstream adoption of this form of cricket in India, even the blind are able to actively participate in the game.