Cricket FAQ

Bowled'em works best with a data connection so the live link updates in real time. On a slow connection it still works: scoring is optimistic, meaning the UI updates instantly on your phone even if the server write is delayed. If you go fully offline, scoring may not sync until you're back online.

Anyone playing cricket outside a formal club or academy. Gully cricket, turf cricket, box cricket, parking lot cricket, terrace cricket. If you're playing a match and want to keep score properly and share it, Bowled'em is for you.

There's no single standard. Gully cricket rules are agreed on by the players before the match and vary by city, locality, and group. But the most commonly accepted rules are: one tip one hand (a fielder catching the ball after one bounce off a wall or one tip gets the batsman out), the toss decides batting or fielding, overs range from 3 to 10 based on time and players, extras give a free hit or extra run depending on local rules, and boundaries are defined by walls, drains, or agreed markers. The key is: both teams agree before the match. Whatever is agreed is the rule for that match.

Minimum 4. Two a side is playable but chaotic. Most gully matches run 5v5 to 8v8. With fewer players: no wicketkeeper, automatic fielders, or tip-catch in lieu of fielding are all common adaptations.

If the ball hits any surface (a wall, the ground, a bat edge) and a fielder catches it cleanly with one hand before it bounces again, the batsman is out. This rule compensates for fewer fielders and tighter spaces.

In standard cricket, no. In gully cricket it depends on what was agreed before the match. In a 4-over game with 4 players a side, you might have no choice. Whatever your group decides is the rule.

The stumps are exposed so a direct hit counts as a run out. If the ball passes the stumps with no keeper, most groups let the ball go to a fielder behind before it counts. Agree this before the match.

In most gully matches: hitting a wall behind the batsman is a boundary 4 (or 6 depending on local rules). Hitting a side wall and fielded: play on. Hitting an obstacle outside the playing area: dead ball, batting team gets 1 or 2 runs based on pre-agreed rules.

Open bowledem.com, create a match, add both team names and players, set your overs, and start scoring. Tap the runs off each ball. Extras, wickets, wides: all one tap. Share the live link in your WhatsApp group.

Turf cricket is played on a rented artificial turf ground: a rectangular patch with a proper pitch strip, stumps, and boundary ropes or walls. Most cities in India now have turf facilities bookable by the hour through Playo, Cult.fit, or Hudle. Matches are typically T10 or T15 format with 6 to 11 players a side.

Most turf venues have house rules, but common standards are: tape ball or tennis ball (no hard ball), 6 to 10 overs per side, a bowler can bowl a maximum of 2 overs in a 10-over match, no LBW, ball hitting the roof net is a dead ball with 1 run added (varies by venue), ball hitting the side net is 4 or play-on depending on venue. Always confirm the house rules at the venue before the match starts.

Box cricket is played in an enclosed court: four walls with a net roof. The enclosed space makes it fast, high-scoring, and intense. Shots hitting the back wall behind the bowler are often 6s. Side walls are usually 4s or play-on depending on rules. Built for small groups in urban spaces.

Box cricket rules vary by facility but the common format is: 5 or 6 players a side, 4 to 6 overs per innings, each player bats a set number of balls, hitting the back wall is 6 runs, hitting a side wall and caught is out, no LBW, and a batsman scoring 0 off their allocation retires. Ask the venue for their specific rules when you book.

Yes. Set your overs, add your players, and score ball by ball. For venue-specific rules like wall boundaries: if a back wall is a 6, tap 6. Bowled'em handles the rest.

The most common ones are Playo, Cult.fit, and Hudle. They handle the booking. Bowled'em handles the scoring once you're on the ground.

Each delivery is recorded. The batting team scores runs by running between wickets or hitting boundaries (4 along the ground, 6 over the boundary). Extras add runs without the batsman hitting the ball. The team with more runs at the end wins.

A wide is called when the bowler delivers the ball too far outside the batsman's reach. It counts as 1 run to the batting team and must be rebowled. It doesn't count as one of the over's legal deliveries.

An illegal delivery. Most commonly when the bowler's front foot lands past the popping crease. Gives 1 run to the batting team, the ball is rebowled, and the batsman gets a free hit off the next delivery (in limited-overs cricket).

An over in which no runs are scored off the bat and no extras are given. All 6 balls, nothing given away.

The average number of runs a bowler gives per over. A bowler who gave 24 runs in 4 overs has an economy of 6.0. Lower is better. In T20 cricket, anything under 8 is considered good.

Runs scored per 100 balls faced. A batsman who scored 45 runs off 30 balls has a strike rate of 150. Higher means more aggressive. In T20 cricket, above 140 is strong.

Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) is a formula used to set a revised target in a rain-interrupted limited-overs match. It accounts for overs remaining and wickets in hand. In simple terms: if rain cuts the chase short, DLS recalculates how many runs the team needed based on how much of the game was left. It's complicated, often controversial, and has ruined many IPL evenings.

One person scores on the app. After each delivery, they tap the result: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, W, Wd, NB. The scorecard updates instantly. Everyone on the shared link sees it update live within a second.

For official IPL live scores, use Cricbuzz or ESPNcricinfo: real-time ball-by-ball updates for every IPL match. Bowled'em is built for scoring your own matches, not IPL broadcasts.

The easiest entry is a turf booking with friends: search Playo or Hudle for turfs near you, book an hour slot, show up. Turf cricket is forgiving, fast, and doesn't need 22 players or a full ground. Once you're playing regularly, Bowled'em handles the scoring so you have a record of every match.

Each IPL franchise gets a budget to bid for players at an auction before the season. Teams bid against each other until one bid is uncontested: that team gets the player. Retained players from the previous year skip the auction. It's one of the most watched events in Indian cricket off the field.

The first 6 overs of an innings in T20 cricket, during which only 2 fielders can be placed outside the 30-yard circle. Batsmen have more space to score. It's where matches are often set up or lost.

When a team needs a set number of runs in the final over to win. '12 off the last over' means 12 runs needed from 6 balls. One of the most unbearable situations in cricket, for both sides.

A one-over eliminator used to break a tie in limited-overs cricket. Each team bats one over (6 balls), uses 2 wickets. Whoever scores more in that over wins. If it's still tied, another Super Over. In T20 cricket it is pure chaos and completely brilliant.