How Many Types of Outs in Cricket? Key Rules Every Fan Must Know

kaiggy12 16-Apr-2025 • 14:52

Cricket is a sport of refined rules, and perhaps the most significant part of the game is how a batsman could get dismissed. There are numerous different ways in which a batter can be declared "out" under the MCC regulations, each one of which corresponds to a set of rules unlike any other. Players, umpires, and fans need to know these dismissals.

Cricket

How many types of outs in cricket

There are 10 legal ways in the Laws of Cricket through which a batsman gets out. This includes

1. Bowled
2. Caught
3. Leg before Wicket (LBW)
4. Run Out
5. Stumped
6. Hit Wicket
7. Obstructing the Field
8. Handled the Ball
9. Time Out
10. Hit the Ball Twice

All the 10 dismissals are legal but some of these are very rare like "Handled the Ball" and "Time Out". There is another form of dismissal which is called "Retired Out" but this one is not included in the standard ten ways of dismissals.

Most Frequent Ways to Get Out in Cricket

There are some dismissals that occur much more often than others. These are the most common ways by which batsmen are dismissed:

1. Bowled: The bowler's dream is to knock over the stumps, and this happens when the batsman cannot control the ball and it hits the wickets. This way of dismissal is one of the most common and loved by most of the fans as they hear the stunning sound of ball striking the stumps of a batsman of their opposing team.

2. Caught: It is the most common mode of dismissal in cricket. When the batter edges the ball or miss-times a shot, the fielders can catch the ball before it is on the ground.

3. Leg Before Wicket (LBW): This is probably the most controversial dismissal in the history of Cricket. The ball strikes the leg of the batter in the line of the stumps, and the umpire declares that the ball would have struck the wicket. Decision Review System (DRS) has enhanced LBW decisions but still there are some rare cases which sometime gets controversial.

4. Run Out: Common in shorter-forms of cricket (such as T20s), run-outs happen when batters overestimate a run, and the fielders get in and smash the stumps before grounding themselves.

5. Stumped: The wicket-keeper knocks over the bails when the batter tries to get out of the crease for a hit or something else, not attempting a run. This mostly happens in T20 matches when aggressive batsmen try to attempt for a hit.

Also Check: How Many Players Are There in a Cricket Team?