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Teams and squads

Unequal Teams in Cricket: How to Play 7 vs 8 Fairly

Fifteen people turned up. Someone's getting the smaller team, and everyone's hoping it isn't them.

The ruleUnequal teams is a gully cricket rule for when the numbers don't split evenly, like 7 against 8. Each side bats with its own squad, so the smaller team is all out sooner. Most grounds balance it with a common player, first pick for the short side, or a swap once the game gets going.

At a glance

Fair on its own?
Not quite. The short side has one batter fewer, so something usually evens it up.
All out at
Each side's own squad size (with last man standing on)
Usual fixes
A common player, first pick, or a mid-match swap
Common in
Every ground where fifteen people turn up
In Gully Crix
Full Match

The maths of the short side

With last man standing on, a seven-player side has seven wickets to lose and an eight-player side has eight. One extra batter sounds like nothing. In a six-over game, where the last pair often decides it, it's a lot.

Eight players against seven
Last man standing onLast man standing off
Bigger side all out at8 wickets7 wickets
Smaller side all out at7 wickets6 wickets
Bowlers available8 against 78 against 7

How grounds even it up

Do it before the toss

The worst time to discuss fairness is after one side has batted. Decide the fix while everyone's still standing around arguing about who brought the stumps, and the rest of the match is only about cricket.

How to score a match with unequal teams

Full Match

Find it at Full Match setup → Gully Rules → Squad & Teams

  1. 1

    In Full Match setup, open Gully Rules.

  2. 2

    Under Squad & Teams, switch on Start with unequal teams.

  3. 3

    Pick team sheets with different numbers of players.

  4. 4

    Each side is all out on its own squad size. Nothing else to set.

Gully Crix Full Match setup with Strikers on 7 players and Titans on 8, and a note that each side is all out on its own squad size
Seven against eight. The app says so, and each side is all out on its own number.
Gully Crix gully rules sheet with Start with unequal teams switched on
Start with unequal teams, under Squad & Teams.

Step by step in the Help Centre: Playing with unequal teams

Questions people ask

How do you play cricket with an odd number of players?

Two ways. Give the odd player to both teams as a common player, or play unequal teams and let the bigger side have one extra batter and bowler. Both are normal in gully cricket.

Is 7 vs 8 cricket fair?

Close, but not quite. The team of eight has an extra batter and an extra bowler. Most grounds balance it with a common player, first pick for the smaller side, or a swap early in the match.

When is a team all out with unequal teams?

Each team is all out on its own squad size. With last man standing on, a team of seven is all out at seven wickets and a team of eight at eight.

More gully cricket rules

A batter and a wicket-keeper at yellow plastic stumps in a covered parking lot

Common player

Eleven players, two teams. Somebody has to be on both.

People scattered across a wide beach at dusk, drifting towards a game

Late joiners

“Bhai, main bhi khelunga.” Every match, about fifteen minutes in.

A lone batter silhouetted at sunset by the sea, bat raised

Last man standing

Six down, one bat left, nobody at the other end. In most gullies that isn't the end of the innings.

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Last updated 2026-09-23

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