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Tennis ball cricket (orsoftball cricket) is avariant ofcricket played using atennis ball. It is popular in theIndian subcontinent and is also played inMiddle-East,United States,Canada,Australia andEurope. A tennis ball is easier to play with compared to a conventional hard cricket ball and is also less likely to cause injury. There is no definite record as to when this originated in theIndian subcontinent.
Tennis ball cricket originated in theIndian subcontinent though there is no definite record as to when it started. The first Tennis Ball Cricket body was formed in 1982 known as Tennis Ball Cricket Association of India (TBCAI).[1] Many prominent international cricketers have played some form of tennis ball cricket early in their careers.[2][3]
The rules of this game can vary significantly from standard cricket, and often the rules of regular cricket do not apply as they normally would. The number ofovers in a game and players in a team is usually less than in a conventional cricket match. Considering that the ball is not as hard as a professional cricket ball, the use of protective gear like gloves, pads and helmets is optional. The playground can be anywhere from a house backyard to a beach to a relatively-uncrowded street, the courtyard of a school, the driveway of a residential building, agricultural fields or any open public spaces with shorter user defined boundaries and make shiftstumps.[4] In theMiddle East, it is played in the open desert andbaseball orsoccer grounds are used in the US, Canada and Europe.[5]
The ball used is a typicaltennis ball, aball that is intended for the sport oftennis. Tennis balls are fluorescent yellow-green in most cases but can be other colors in recreational play. Tennis balls are covered in a fibrousfelt, which modifies their aerodynamic properties, and each has a whitecurvilinear oval covering it.[6][7] The ball may be wrapped with tape (to make what is known as atape ball) to induceswing in some cases.[4]
As tennis ball cricket matches are shorter and suited to recreational play, conventional tournaments have been hosted inSouth Asian countries andMiddle East.[8] The10PL tournament has been organised atSharjah Cricket Stadium since its inaugural edition in 2016, with the first three tournaments held there before the event expanded to India.[9][10] With the participation of international cricketers likeRobin Uthappa andDwayne Bravo.[11][12][13] In 2023, National Tennis Ball Cricket League was established with eight teams in India.[14] In December 2023, TheIndian Street Premier League – T10 was announced withRavi Shastri, formerIndian cricket team captain and head coach, as chief mentor. The core committee also consists ofMumbai Cricket Association president Amol Kale andBCCI treasurerAshish Shelar.[15] In June 2024, The Entertainers Cricket League T10 was announced as India's firstsocial media superstars cricket league.[16][17] The franchises' captains includeYouTubers like Abhishek Malhan,Elvish Yadav,Munawar Faruqui, Sonu Sharma, Anurag Dwivedi, and Harsh Beniwal.[18][17] Former Indian cricketerAakash Chopra was also appointed as League commissioner.[19] The tournament brought together leading content creators from across India to showcase their cricketing skills and passion for the game. The inaugural edition concluded with Haryana Hunters, led by Elvish Yadav, winning the final.[20][21]
On May 2, 2025, Delhi based firm Servotech Sports announced Dream League of India, a one-of-a-kind Tennis-ball Cricket League which will be played among six franchise based team across the country.Sonu Sood was announced as a League Commissioner during a grand ceremony.[22]