Gully Cricket Rules: The House Rules Every Lane Argues Over

Every gully has its own rulebook, and every rulebook was written by whoever owned the bat. Still, a few rules show up from Pune lanes to Patna terraces. Here are the ones most people play by, plus the arguments they cause and the ways lanes quietly settle them.

The quick version: agree the rules before the first ball, say them out loud, and pick one person to settle disputes. That person is usually the owner of the ball.

Before the first ball: the toss and the teams

Gully cricket teams are picked, not drawn. Two captains stand apart, and the best players go first. The last kid picked usually becomes the permanent wicketkeeper, which in a lane with no stumps means he stands in front of a gate and gets blamed for byes.

The toss is a pebble, a coin or a bat spun on its handle. If you use a bat, "flat side or round side" is the call. Do not let anyone call it after the bat has fallen. That is the first fight of the day, and it can be avoided.

Next, fix the boundaries. Point at them. The wall of the chemist's shop is four. The tree is six. The gate that is always shut is out of bounds, because last time the ball went under it and a dog got involved.

The rules almost every gully agrees on

One tip, one hand. A ball that bounces once off the wall and is caught one-handed is out. Some lanes allow it only on the first bounce, and some count it only if the catcher did not drop it after.

Over the wall is out. Over the wall and into the neighbour's balcony is out, and you fetch the ball. Sixes only count if the ball lands on the road. The batter who hits it over the wall is also the one who knocks on the door.

Last man bats. When one batter is left with no partner, he plays on alone. Fewer lanes use this than you remember, but those that do defend it fiercely.

Underarm for the little ones. The youngest kid gets easy deliveries, and the oldest does not complain about it. When the little one hits a boundary, everyone celebrates as if it were a final.

Self-umpiring. The batting side provides the umpire, and the umpire's decisions are always generous to the batting side. This is the oldest system in the lane and no one has found a better one.

The disputes, and how lanes settle them

"Not out, it was a no-ball." There is no umpire, so the batter decides. The fix is a chalk line for the crease, drawn before play and never redrawn mid-game. A brick also works, if the chalk ran out.

The ball in the gutter. Most lanes say the batter loses one run and the bowler loses the ball-hunting duty. A few say it is a dead ball. Choose one at the toss.

The lost ball. Whoever hit it buys the next one, or, more often, the game ends and everyone blames the batter for a week.

Owner's rule. The kid with the bat gets to bat first and last. It is unfair, and everyone knows it. It is also why the game happens at all.

Mummy's call. When a parent calls from the balcony, the game ends on the next ball. If the score is level, that last ball decides everything. Every lane has a story of a last ball.

Write your own house rules

The best gully games have a rule nobody outside the lane would guess. "Mrs. Iyer's window is a four, not out." "Bowling from the lamp post only after 6 pm." "Sundays, 7 am, no excuses." Put yours in the group chat and you have a record of the lane.

A good house rule has three parts: a place (the window, the lamp post), a number (four, six, out) and a person (Mrs. Iyer, the ball owner). Those same three parts make a good line on a tee, and the lane's own joke is the one people will stop and read.

If your lane has a name and a ground, it deserves a shirt. Our neighbourhood gully cricket designs start with lines like these, and you change the ground, the year or the rule to your own with Edit text or Reimagine. Made to order, dispatched within 48 hours.

Want something less lane-specific? The cricket tees collection has designs for people who play and live cricket off the field.

Gully cricket rules: FAQ

How many players are in a gully cricket team? As many as turn up. Four to six a side is common in a narrow lane.

How many overs do you play? Most games run by time. When the streetlights come on or someone's mother calls, it is the last ball.

Can you play with a tennis ball? Yes. Wrapping it in electrical tape is the usual way to make it swing, and it lasts longer on tarmac.

What if there is no umpire? The batting side umpires, and arguments are settled by whoever owns the ball.

Can we put our own rules on a T-shirt? Yes. Pick a design, then use Edit text to put in your ground, your rule or your year.