How to Become a Cricket Umpire in BCCI India?

Cricket is not just a sport, it’s a love to many Indians. This sport is widely played in many countries on an international level and the Indian cricket team has won the heart of millions. Most fans of the Indian cricket team are the fan of former captain Mahender Singh Dhoni and the current captain, Virat Kohli.

No doubt everyone knows about the captain and other players of the cricket team but have you ever looked after the other important roles in cricket? Well, an umpire is one of the critical roles and it is usually played by those who have good experience with this sports.

Even though a cricket umpire stands in one place and looks for no-ball, wide ball and other things, this job is quite challenging. An umpire is usually multitasking and there are many things done at the same time like looking for the wide ball, no ball, baller feet, LPW and whatnot.

No doubt that this job is tough but it is also the most reputed job for those who have a keen interest in Cricket. Anyone with good knowledge about these sports, intense experience, and good communication skill get this role. But, there are many challenges to pass through.

Needless to mention that BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) decides that who will be playing on the ground, look for entries of new players, and consider other things also.

So, BCCI decides the umpire and becoming an umpire will further go to BCCI decision. If you are wondering that what skills are required, what’s the qualifications requirement, are there any specific criteria, and such other question, then don’t worry. Here we are mentioning all the crucial factors. You can focus on a dedicated path and follow the below-mentioned factors to attain the position of an umpire.

Qualification Requirements

There are three basic categories that every applicant would have to fulfil to become eligible for the further procedure. All the applicants go through several steps and all those steps take time to qualify. The minimum qualification requirements are –

• Education

Usually, all the posts in cricket sports are based on skills, but an umpire is on the field with national and international players, good knowledge of the language is necessary. There are no minimum requirements mentioned, but an applicant would know about all the cricket rules in depth. On the other hand, there are cricket matches at the national level where slightly poor command over the English language might work but be able to understand and speak the English language fluently is a key command.

• Theory Exam

Having sound knowledge of cricket sports is necessary as an umpire to adjudge a match. When you have the proper knowledge, you can make the right decision. There is a total of 42 laws and better command over each law is necessary for every applicant. Applicants are required to pass a theory exam and it is conducted by the state sports bodies.

MCA (Mumbai Cricket Association) and DDCA (District Cricket Association) are just two examples where the applicant can opt for. Once the applicant passes the theory exam, you are eligible for the Board of Control for Cricket in India or BCCI. There are many crucial steps in the BCCI exam and require you to be precise with the laws of cricket, and more.

• Adequate Physical Fitness

Being fit for the sports of cricket is necessary. Even though the cricketers are playing for long hours, they get to rest in the meantime but it is not possible for the cricket umpire. The umpire will remain on the field for long hours and having good physical health is necessary in such cases. You might think that it is all about standing for long hours.

Well, the capacity to stand for hour matters but there are other factors like good eyesight and excellent hearing capabilities playing the necessary role. Standing for a long hour and taking the right decision is necessary. When applicants opt for the sports of cricket umpire job, they go through eyesight and hearing capability test to ensure that they are the right candidate for this responsible job.

When giving out or not out, the decision is based on the umpire’s analysis. As the ball is fast and focusing on all the detail is typical, chances of making the wrong decision still exist there. In such conditions, taking a wrong decision affect the career of a cricket umpire. So, being able to take the right decision is essential for a long career as an umpire in the game of cricket.

Skills Requirements

Once an applicant passes through the qualification test, he goes through the skill test. This is the second phase and slightly typical. But, if you pass the test, you get to umpire at lower scale cricket matches and move in the upward direction with experience and your record as an umpire. The skills required to become a cricket umpire are –

• Decision Making Skills

Making the right decision is necessary for a long career as a cricket umpire. But to get selected, you also need the same skill. In cricket sports, there are lots of people shouting for their favourite team, cheering for them and the crowd make things intense. Deciding on the pressure is typical and that’s what matters for an umpire.

If you possess the skill of making the right decision, then you will be selected for this post. You might know that making a wrong decision affect the career of an umpire but doing the same mistake twice can flip the course of a cricket match. The opponent team and their fan base can bring lots of criticism. So, being accurate with the decision is one of the typical and responsive job.

The critical part is, making a decision might seem tough but doing the same thing in a short span is the hardest task. If you are not capable to decide under few seconds (20 seconds to 40 seconds), it will affect your career also. So, an umpire doesn’t get enough freedom to think or ask the third umpire for the same. He has to decide with precision.

At the same time, the umpire can focus on watching some replay of the same ball, checking no-ball, other mistakes and then conclude. But, the whole procedure must not take more than 30 seconds. Now, you can understand how much pressure does a cricket umpire has to face during the cricket match.

• Multitasking skills

Being surrounded by thousands of people in the crowd, there is lots of noise, shouting sound and hustle-bustle, in this hour, you will be doing multi-tasking. Yes, it is the crucial and the most important part for a cricket umpire. Some people think that it is all about deciding between no-ball, out/not out, or wide ball, but there is much to more to it.

Umpire will look at the feet of the baller to ensure that he doesn’t cross the line, then the second thing is ball height. If both cases pass, then the umpire would have to look if the ball touched the bat or leg pad. Can you see where we are heading? Yes, multi-tasking under few seconds. You can understand how critical this job is.

Fun Fact – An Umpire has to account for every ball, wicket, and run using a clicker. Along with these factors, the umpire will be focusing on overstepping, safety, weather and other factors.

• Managing People

An umpire is an authority and he will officiate the match. Under the umpire jobs, managing all the player is the critical one. There are 12 players on the ground and managing all those player is the critical part. There are many times when players have conflict and handling the situation is necessary.

As cricket is sports and no sports is possible without extreme adrenaline. Chances of having conflict increases and dealing with all the issues are part of people management skills. There is a need of managing several players at one time and this skill is usually taught during the course.

Where to Begin?

To begin, an applicant would have to apply for the same on the state website of cricket board. You can find it from the below given chart –

You can find the name of the state in this list which will help you know about the city as well as the website for registration. After finding the website, you can apply for the post by filling in all the required details. No doubt having experience in the same field will come in handy and you can learn more about the same from the official website of the cricket board. Once you get selected, you will be getting the option to work under BCCI based on your experience, right decision record and other factors.

Note –Being updated with the vacancy and latest news from the state board is crucial in your journey. It doesn’t matter that how well you have worked in past, there are lots of people willing to seize this opportunity. So, applying on time would be the best choice in your case.

Umpire Certificate Examination

To get selected, you will have to opt for the umpire certificate exam and pass it. There are many MCQ level questions and you can find the syllabus on the official website of the state board. Some candidate appears for other state cricket board examination to increase chances of getting selected. Well, this method works but you will be travelling a lot during the cricket match time. Being in the same state seems like an adequate choice. There are three different steps in the umpire certificate examination to pass. Once you pass all the tests, you are required to appear for the next round which is being an umpire in state-level cricket matches.

Conclusion

Going through all the above-mentioned step is necessary to become a cricket umpire in BCCI. The journey to reach BCCI is challenging and require years of experience. The best part is, you can easily reach this level by focusing on the quality umpiring and experience factor. If you are fond of cricket and have played a lot, then there are chances that you can get a career as a BCCI umpire with ease. We hope that you become a great cricket umpire.

Rahul Kumar

Rahul Kumar is a passionate educator, writer, and subject matter expert in the field of education and professional development. As an author on CoursesXpert, Rahul Kumar’s articles cover a wide range of topics, from various courses, educational and career guidance.