Free Hit Rule in Cricket Explained

What is a free hit?

A free hit is a delivery in limited-overs cricket on which the batting team cannot lose a wicket from most forms of dismissal. It is awarded as a penalty to the batting team after a bowler delivers a front-foot no-ball — one where the bowler's front foot lands on or past the popping crease at the moment of delivery. The free hit was introduced to T20 cricket in 2007 and extended to ODIs in 2011.

When is a free hit awarded?

A free hit is awarded specifically for a front-foot no-ball. Other types of no-ball (height no-ball, fielder encroachment, bowling with more than one fielder behind square on the leg side) do not automatically result in a free hit — these are standard no-balls where only the extra run is awarded. In T20 cricket, all no-balls result in a free hit. In ODI cricket, only front-foot no-balls result in a free hit. Test cricket does not have the free hit rule at all.

What dismissals are allowed on a free hit?

A batter can be dismissed on a free hit only by run out, obstructing the field, or handling the ball. Standard dismissals — bowled, LBW, caught, stumped, hit wicket — are not valid on a free hit. This means a batter can play aggressively without fear of being dismissed in normal play. However, if a batter runs wildly and the fielding side complete a run out, that dismissal stands. The striker and non-striker can also be dismissed by handling the ball.

Strategic implications

Free hits have transformed how batters approach the ball after a no-ball. In modern T20 cricket, batters will attempt maximum-risk shots on free hits — slog sweeps, switch hits, upper cuts — because the worst consequence of a mishit is a dot ball or a simple catch (which doesn't count). Bowlers desperately try to bowl a yorker on the free hit delivery to deny runs even if the batter cannot be dismissed. The free hit also changes how fielding captains position their field: they must maintain the no-ball field for the free hit, so if they were in an attacking slip cordon for the no-ball, they must stay in that position for the free hit — giving the batter an open field.