T20 cricket, which has gained much prominence, has seen several innovations over the years. With franchise cricket leagues taking the global cricketing arena due to its fast-paced format, along with the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Big Bash League (BBL) has also seen several new innovations. While the Impact Player has proved pivotal in the IPL, it was initially introduced in the BBL as ‘X-Factor’.
WithT20 leagues adding new aspects to draw attention of cricket enthusiasts, BBL has now introduced the ‘Designated Batter and Fielder’ rule. The T20 league on Thursday, January 16 made the announcement of this new rule, which will be functional from the 2026-27 edition.
Designated Batter and Fielder rule in BBL: How will it work?
With the introduction of the rule from BBL 2026-27, each team will be allowed to nominate a designated batter in their playing XI and a designated fielder from their remaining squad members at the toss. The batter will be allowed to play as a specialist batter and would not be allowed to take the field when it’s his team’s chance to bowl. During the fielding innings, he would be replaced by a designated fielder, who can only field, including keeping wickets and will not be allowed to bat.
For instance, if a batter has an injury concern, they the team can nominate him/her as a designated batter. The batter will not be allowed to take the field in the second innings after playing during the batting innings and the team can send a new fielder to field.
This move by the T20 franchise league tournament comes in order to push the veteran players like Chris Lynn to play for a few more years. Furthermore, it would help the league attract veteran players like Andre Russell, who would just take the field as pure batter or a fielder. Additionally, the rule looks to be an inspiration from baseball, where they have a designated hitter (DH) – a rule which exists since 1970s.
