Overview
- The 2026 edition of the Laws introduces 73 material changes that take effect on October 1, 2026.
- Law 5.8 now permits Type D laminated bats made from up to three wooden pieces in open-age recreational cricket, with non-willow backing allowed behind a willow face.
- MCC testing found any performance advantage from laminated bats to be marginal, and elite cricket is still expected to favor single-piece willow.
- In multi-day games the day's final over must be completed even after a wicket, and wicketkeepers may have their gloves in front of the stumps during the run-up but must be wholly behind at release.
- Other updates include standardized ball sizes in three categories, a first explicit definition of overthrows, tighter boundary-catching rules, broader discretion for calling the ball dead, and the concluded removal of gendered language.