Cricket Umpire and Scorer

Umpires run the match on the field: they apply the Laws, make decisions and keep control of the game. Scorers sit off the field and record every ball, run and wicket. They keep the official record and check it with the umpires. Both work mostly on match days, often in heat and for many hours.

A day in the work
On a match day you reach the ground early, meet the other umpire, the captains and the scorers, and check the pitch and the playing conditions. As an umpire you stand through the session, watching every ball and making quick decisions that both teams must accept. As a scorer you sit in the scorebox and write down every ball and run, check the total with the umpires at the end of each over, and fix any mistakes at once. After the match you finish the scoresheet and reports, then go home tired but usually quite happy.

1. Step 1 · Class 7–12Learn the Laws of Cricket, one law at a time. Start scoring school and gully matches in a notebook. You are probably too young for the state exam yet, so use these years to build knowledge and a habit of paying close attention.
2. Step 2 · Age 21 or more (in Tamil Nadu)Watch your state cricket association's website for an exam notice. In 2026 the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association asked for age 21–45 for men and 21–40 for women and other-gender candidates, as on 1 June 2026. Other states set their own limits. The Karnataka scorers' exam, for example, went by date of birth. Notices come only when the association decides to hold an exam.
3. Step 3 · A few monthsTake the state exam. Tamil Nadu's 2026 umpires' exam was held on 28 June 2026 at five centres, after a form window from 23 April to 9 May. Karnataka's 2026 scorers' route was an online entrance test, then a paid course, then a final exam in Bengaluru (reported).
4. Step 4 · Several yearsOfficiate or score local, club, age-group and district matches for your association. You build a record and get assessed. How fast you move up depends on your association's panel and on performance (reported).
5. Step 5 · BCCI levelsBCCI's National Academy of Umpires, set up in 2010, runs the courses and exams for umpires, scorers and video analysts. In its older induction scheme, umpires took a Level I course, then a refresher, then a Level II theory exam, a viva and practical postings. Today's rules may differ, so ask your association (reported).
6. Step 6 · Domestic panelUmpires on BCCI's domestic list are placed in grades. In September 2026 the BCCI announced four grades, A to D, and a merit-based system with promotion and relegation each season, starting from the 2026–27 season (reported). Going further, to international panels, is by selection over many years, not a single exam (reported). (reported — check with the official body)

• UmpirePass your state association's umpires' exam, officiate local and state matches, then try for BCCI's Level I and Level II and a place on the domestic panel.
• ScorerPass your state association's scorers' exam (for example the Mumbai and Karnataka associations held scorers' exams in 2026), do the course, then score state matches and move up towards BCCI's panel (reported). Scorers can also later move into umpiring, but that needs the umpires' exam.

Fees from: Tamil Nadu Cricket Association – Umpires' Examination 2026 notice · Star of Mysore – KSCA scorers entrance exam (reported). Fees change every year — check the college's own fee page before you pay.

Pay is per match, not a monthly salary: it is small and irregular in local and club cricket, and rises a lot only if you reach BCCI's domestic panel, where it depends on your grade and how often you are appointed.

Tamil Nadu's 2026 umpires' exam was open to men, women and other-gender candidates, with a lower fee for women and other-gender candidates. Its upper age limit was 40 for them against 45 for men. We found no official rules on disability for umpires or scorers, so ask your association.

• Class 7–9Read the Laws of Cricket from the MCC, one law a week. Then score one school or gully match, ball by ball, in a notebook.Open link ↗
• Class 10–12Ask your PE teacher if you can umpire or score a junior or inter-class match. Keep a log of the matches and what you learned, with the decisions you were unsure about.
• College or afterLook at your state cricket association's official website and notice board this month for umpires' or scorers' exam notices. Note the age limit, fee and dates for your state.

• This is not a salaried job with a joining letter. You are paid per match, and exams are held only when your state association announces them. Plan a main job or studies alongside, at least in the early years.
• Exam fees in the 2026 notices we found were small: Tamil Nadu umpires' exam ₹1,180 for men and ₹590 for women and other-gender candidates (including GST). Karnataka's scorers' form cost ₹200 plus GST, and its course ₹2,000 plus GST (reported).
• The BCCI said in September 2026 that umpire fees had not been revised for almost ten years. It has now announced higher per-day fees and a grading system (reported).
• Not sure about standing on a ground for hours? Scoring, sports coaching and sports management are close options.