A free hit in men's T20 international cricket is the delivery after any no ball, and it protects the striker from most forms of dismissal. The protection continues if that delivery is itself a wide or another no ball. Run out, obstructing the field and hitting the ball twice remain possible dismissals under the applicable rules, so a free hit does not make a batter completely immune.
The governing reference here is the ICC Men's T20I Playing Conditions effective October 2026. Clause 21.18 explains the free hit; clause 21.17 supplies the relevant dismissal exceptions. This guide concerns that specific format and document. A different competition's appointed conditions should be checked before applying the same details to its matches.
| Question | Men's T20I rule |
|---|---|
| What triggers it? | Any mode of no ball |
| Does a wide use it up? | No, the next delivery is also a free hit |
| Can the striker be caught? | No dismissal by a catch |
| Can a batter be run out? | Yes, subject to the run out rules |
| Can fielders move freely? | Only specified exceptions allow changes |
Which no balls lead to a free hit?
The rule covers all modes of no ball, rather than only the familiar front foot infringement. That distinction matters when the original breach concerns fielding restrictions. The free hit still follows, but the field can be corrected within the narrow exception discussed below. Viewers should start with the umpire's no ball decision rather than assume the bowler must have overstepped.
A no ball also brings a one run penalty and does not count as one of the over's deliveries. Those consequences belong to the no ball itself. They are separate from the protection given on the following delivery. A free hit is not, simply by being a free hit, a second automatic penalty run for the batting side.
The protection belongs to whichever batter faces the next delivery. It need not be the batter who faced the no ball. If the batters change ends during the original delivery, the new striker receives the free hit. That change of striker can also affect whether the fielding side may alter its positions.
Can you be out on a free hit?
Clause 21.18.2 applies the dismissal circumstances available from a no ball, even when the free hit delivery is called wide. A catch, bowled dismissal, leg before wicket decision or stumping therefore cannot dismiss the striker from that free hit. The unusual exceptions remain governed by their own clauses, rather than becoming automatic outs.
Run out is the practical risk many viewers recognise. A batter who attempts a run has not been given a free pass between the wickets. However, calling a delivery a free hit does not turn every breaking of the wicket into a run out. The umpires must still apply the run out provisions to the particular play.
Obstructing the field and hitting the ball twice are also listed in clause 21.17. These are specific offences with their own requirements. A second contact with the ball does not, by itself, allow a viewer to declare the batter out without considering the governing clause and the circumstances.
What happens if the free hit is wide or another no ball?
The next delivery becomes a free hit again. Imagine a bowler delivers a no ball, then sends the protected delivery wide. The wide is penalised in the normal way, and the batter facing the following delivery still receives the protection. A legal delivery is needed to finish that sequence.
Another no ball produces the same continuation. If the batters change ends during the sequence, the protection moves to the batter now on strike. The rule does not reserve it for a named player, and the fielding side cannot cancel it by changing the bowler's delivery style.
Can the field or bowling style change?
Field changes, including swapping individual fielders between existing positions, are generally prohibited for free hit deliveries. The two stated exceptions are a change of striker, subject to clause 41.2, and a no ball caused by a fielding restriction breach. In the latter case, changes are allowed only to correct that breach.
The bowler can change the mode of delivery, with clause 21.1 still applying. This permission is separate from the restriction on the field. The umpire signals a free hit by raising one arm and making a circular movement after the usual no ball signal.
For other decisions that often confuse viewers, read our guides to LBW and the no shot exception, DRS and Umpire's Call, and Super Over rules. Each answers a separate rules question; none changes the free hit protection set out above.
