We are excited to share a significant update on the bail guard safety initiative.

The Dallas Cricket League (DCL), one of the largest recreational cricket leagues in the United States, has adopted the bail guard and made it mandatory for all 201 teams and 6,679 players starting the Fall 2026 season. This is the first league-wide mandate of its kind anywhere in the world.

DCL: https://www.dallascricket.org
DCL Bail Guard Mandate: https://dallascricket.org:3000/storage/dcl_documents/8_1781031775_BnIXZT.pdf

This would not have been possible without the efforts of Mr. Kuljit Singh Nijjar and the DCL leadership team. They did all the hard work to make this happen, and we are very thankful for their dedication to making cricket safer for everyone.

What this means:

Every match across the DCL will now use bail guards on the stumps, protecting players, umpires, and wicketkeepers from injuries caused by flying bails. This is a real, measurable step toward making cricket safer at the grassroots level.

The bail guard remains completely free and open-source. There are no patents, no licensing fees, and no commercial interest. Anyone can make one, and any league can adopt it. The design files, technical documentation, and field trial results are all publicly available.

Why this matters:

Flying bails have caused serious injuries in professional cricket. South African wicketkeeper Mark Boucher permanently lost sight in his left eye after a bail struck him during a match in 2012. India captain MS Dhoni suffered blurred vision and a bloodshot eye from a bail strike in 2016. If this can happen to international players wearing professional gear, recreational players are even more at risk.

With DCL's adoption, we now have real-world data being collected across hundreds of matches to further demonstrate the effectiveness and practicality of the bail guard.

What's next:

We are in active discussions with other cricket organizations and governing bodies to expand adoption beyond DCL. Your continued support and signatures help demonstrate the community demand for this simple safety measure.

Thank you for supporting this initiative. Every signature matters.

Anish Anup and Aashi Anup

Resources:
- 2-minute overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzF2togtwVc
- How to set up a bail guard: https://youtube.com/shorts/Ngg2C3kXrzU?feature=share
- Open design (v4): https://zenodo.org/records/18646120
- Field trial results: https://github.com/anishanup/cricket-bail-safety-trial-tools
- All about bail guards (playlist): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcYYPWle7j_Dykebkq_3pMlpxEiskwJOy