Blitz and Quick: the two match formats explained

Not every match has to be long. NPL Cricket League has two formats for online play, both short enough for a phone and long enough to matter. This guide explains what each one is, how the rules change with the size of your teams, and how to choose.

It describes the build we are testing now. Details can change before release; if they do, we'll update this page.

The two formats at a glance

• Blitz: 2 overs a side. Twelve balls each. Every ball counts, and one big over wins it.
• Quick: 5 overs a side. Thirty balls each. Room to build an innings, lose a wicket and still recover.

You choose the format when you create a lobby, and the host can change it until the match starts. Both formats work with any team size from 1 v 1 to 11 v 11.

Blitz: two overs, no hiding

A Blitz match is over in a few minutes. With only twelve balls, there is no time to play yourself in.

It suits you if:

• you have five minutes, not twenty;
• you are playing 1 v 1 or with a small group;
• you like matches decided by one brave shot or one great yorker.

How to play it well: bat as if every ball is the last over, because it nearly is. When bowling, your two overs must come from your two best bowlers, and a single wide can decide the match.

Quick: five overs, a real contest

Five overs is where cricket's shape appears. There is a start, a middle and a finish. A side can lose an early wicket and rebuild. A bowler can be saved for the last over.

It suits you if:

• you have a full lobby and want everyone to get a turn;
• you enjoy setting fields of pressure across several overs;
• you want the chase to build to something.

How to play it well: keep wickets for the last two overs, and plan which bowler finishes before the innings starts.

How wickets work

The number of wickets a side has depends on its size:

• A side has as many wickets as it has players, with a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 10.
• In a 1 v 1 match, you have two wickets: the same player simply bats again after the first one falls.
• In small sides, when the batting order runs out it starts again from the top.

So a 3 v 3 match has three wickets a side, and an 11 v 11 match has the full ten.

How bowling is shared

• The fielding captain picks the bowler before each over.
• Nobody bowls two overs in a row, unless the side has only one player.
• The overs are shared across the side: in a 5-over match with five players, each player can bowl one over. In a 2-over Blitz with two or more players, two different players bowl.

If the captain takes too long, the game picks an eligible bowler so the match keeps moving.

Extras and free hits

Online matches have the two extras every cricket fan knows:

• Wide. A ball the batter could not reach. One run to the batting side, and the ball is bowled again.
• No-ball. A wild release. One run, bowled again, and the next ball is a free hit.

In a 12-ball innings, giving away a free hit is expensive. Aim, then wait for the green on the meter. The bowling guide shows how.

The chase and the result

The side batting second wins the moment it passes the target; the remaining balls are not bowled. If the scores are level at the end, the match is a tie. There is no super over in the current build.

At the end, a result card shows who won and by how much: by runs if the side batting first defended its total, by wickets if the chase got home.

Which should you pick?

	Blitz	Quick
Overs a side	2	5
Balls a side	12	30
Best for	1 v 1, a fast game	Full lobbies, a proper chase
Feels like	A final over, twice	A short match with a story

If you are new, start with Blitz against a friend. When you can score freely in two overs, five will feel like a luxury.

Offline is different

Practice mode is a separate, offline match against Lumi AI, where you bowl first and then chase. It is the place to learn before playing either format online.

Longer formats

Blitz and Quick are the two formats in the game today. We have longer formats in mind for later, but we are not promising them or naming a date. When something is actually scheduled it will appear on the roadmap.

When you are ready, here is how to get your friends into a lobby.

NPL Cricket League is still in development. Pre-register and we'll tell you when you can play.

NPL Cricket League is a game by Lacspace inspired by Nepal's T20 franchise cricket. Team names identify the franchises; crests, kits and players in the game are our own, and players are fictional. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or licensed by the Cricket Association of Nepal, the Nepal Premier League or its franchises.