Published by IPL Betting. Sources checked on 11 September 2026; examples are illustrative.
The ball-tracking replay shows the ball clipping a stump, yet the batter stays. A few overs later, a similar picture leaves another batter out. The difference may be the original decision. To follow an LBW review, keep two questions separate: does the delivery meet the requirements for LBW, and is the review evidence sufficient to change the umpire’s call?
This guide explains the basic law and uses the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 review procedure as a named example. It does not set out IPL review allowances, time limits or competition-specific amendments. Those details belong to the playing conditions for the match you are watching.
Start with the delivery, not the animation
LBW is possible only on a delivery that is not a no-ball. The ball must strike the batter before the bat, pitch in line with the wickets or outside off stump if it bounces, meet the impact requirement, and be on a path to hit the wicket. A ball pitching outside leg stump fails the test. These requirements come from MCC Law 36.
Watch the whole replay once before concentrating on a coloured box. A slow-motion close-up of a pad can conceal an earlier inside edge. A projected path to middle stump does not make it LBW if an earlier requirement has failed. The sequence matters more than how convincing the final frame looks.
| Replay question | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Was it a fair delivery? | A no-ball prevents LBW. |
| Did bat come first? | An earlier bat contact rules out LBW. |
| Where did it pitch? | Outside leg is different from outside off. |
| Where was impact? | Consider the line and whether a shot was attempted. |
| Would it hit? | Read the reported result, then remember the original decision. |
Impact outside off stump needs another question
If the batter genuinely attempts a shot, impact must be in line with the wickets. If no genuine attempt is made, impact outside off stump can still qualify. Impact outside leg stump does not gain that exception. The law concerns interception by the body, so the name does not restrict it to the leg. Read the impact requirements in Law 36.
For a viewer, the useful habit is to say “impact outside off, shot offered” rather than just “outside”. The shorter description leaves out the fact that changes the assessment. Do the same when discussing pitching: distinguish the place where the ball bounced from the place where it struck the batter. They are separate points on the path.
What Umpire’s Call tells you
In the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 playing conditions, the review procedure distinguishes clear ball-tracking outcomes from marginal impact or wicket outcomes. An LBW decision left unchanged solely because of Umpire’s Call does not use up an unsuccessful review. That is an example from this competition, not a promise about every league’s review system.
Umpire’s Call describes a marginal result under the review procedure; it is not a fresh opinion about which team deserves the decision. Note whether the original appeal was given out or not out before reading the final graphic. A screenshot that omits the original decision is an incomplete account of the review.
Three practice reviews
These are invented teaching situations, not reports of matches. Assume a legal delivery, no earlier bat contact and no separate reason to overturn the decision unless the row says otherwise.
| Situation | How to follow it |
|---|---|
| The ball pitches outside leg, then curves towards middle stump. | Stop at pitching: the attractive final trajectory does not make it LBW. |
| Impact is outside off and the batter has attempted a genuine shot. | The impact requirement fails even if the projection reaches the stumps. |
| The only marginal element is the wicket result, shown as Umpire’s Call. | Check the original ruling. Under the named ICC procedure, that ruling stands. |
Try explaining each case without using the colours shown by a broadcaster. Say which requirement is decisive. That makes the explanation usable when a different television feed changes the graphic or presents the checks in a different order. It also stops “three reds” becoming a substitute for following what the officials actually checked.
Wait for the final signal
A replay package may pause, reset or show another angle. Do not treat the first freeze-frame as the final ruling. Keep a short note of the original decision, the relevant replay finding and the umpire’s final signal. If those three entries do not fit your understanding, revisit the explanation before assuming the scoreboard is wrong.
The same discipline helps when watching a clip later. A clip can begin after the no-ball check or finish before the announcement. Missing context is a reason to withhold judgment, especially when the camera angle cannot show an edge clearly.
Questions that come up during a review
Does the ball have to hit a pad? No. The basic law refers to interception by the batter’s person, provided its other conditions are met.
Does a projected hit automatically mean out? No. The earlier LBW requirements and the review procedure still matter.
Can I use an ICC review allowance for an IPL match? Check the IPL conditions for that season. This explanation deliberately does not supply an IPL allowance.
Read the rest of the scorecard
For the notation around a wicket, use our scorecard reading guide. If the underlying terms are unfamiliar, start with basic cricket rules, then return to the IPL introduction for the tournament’s broader structure.