A designated batter is a player who is allowed to bat but does not field for their team. It’s a significant and experimental rule change from normal cricket set-ups.
The concept of the designated batter will first be used in a high-profile situation in Australia’s Big Bash League (a T20 competition) in the 2026-7 season. It will be an optional measure which teams can choose whether or not to use before the game. It is acceptable for one side to use it and the other to not.
If a team uses the designated batter, they name one player in their batting order who is not allowed to field (which includes bowling and wicket keeping). They will then name an extra player (meaning 12 in the lineup) who fields but is not part of the batting line-up. This player can act as wicket keeper but is not allowed to bowl.
The idea is taken from the designated hitter rule used in many baseball games where the pitcher is not required to bat for their team and instead an additional player bats in place of them (and does not field.)
The designated batter is a major deviation from the Laws of Cricket which limits teams to 11 players and only allows a 12th player to act as a temporary substitute fielder for an injured player. The designated batter is an example of a playing condition, which is a variation to the Laws used for a specific competition or match. (Playing conditions often allow a concussed player to be replaced by a substitute for the rest of the game, but this is not the same as planning a replacement before the game.)
The use of a designated batter is a fundamental change from the basic concept that all players in a team are required to field in some capacity (as well as potentially being required to bat). Because the change is so great, it’s questionable whether it could be used in a multi-day or one-day game that still qualified for first class or List A status. As Big Bash League is a T20 competition, games involving a designated hitter are likely to still be counted towards T20 records and career statistics.
Supporters of the change argue that it adds an additional tactical element that makes game decisions more intriguing, that it could allow older players to extend their career by batting without the need to spend an entire innings fielding, reduce the risk to international players of being injured while fielding, and that it could give more opportunities to inexperienced players to take part in high-profile games by acting as the “replacement” fielder.