Sophie Devine calls for review of fielding rules, boundary lengths in women's game

New Zealand captain Sophie Devine has called for a review of fielding rules and boundary lengths in women's cricket, saying current conditions give batters too much of an advantage.

Under current rules no more than four fielders are allowed outside the restricted area in non powerplay overs, a regulation which is aimed at producing more boundaries and giving fans more entertainment with higher scoring games.

In the Women's Premier League (WPL) the maximum boundary length is set at 60 meter, while in the men's tournament it can reach up to 77 meter.

"There needs to be a serious look at the "four fielders out" rule. We are pretty close to going in line with the men and having five fielders out on the boundary," Sophie Devine told reporters on Thursday.

"We've all seen the power that the women's game has got now and I don't think having five fielders out would make a hindrance to the possibility and opportunities to score more runs," she added.

Sophie Devine, who was signed by Gujarat Giants in the 2026 Women's Premier League auction and ranks among the league's top five run-scorers and wicket-takers this season, said the regulations made it difficult for bowlers.

"The balance is distorted towards batters, especially when you're playing on wickets that are so flat and offering not too much for the bowlers," Sophie Devine said.

The all rounder also addressed the rising use of the 'retired-out' strategy in the WPL, which gained attention after Gujarat's Ayushi Soni and UP Warriorz's Harleen Deol exited mid-innings during the tournament's opening week.

"At the end of the day, those decisions are always made with the team coming first and what's going to be best for the team to be able to gain momentum," she said, expressing her preference for this strategy over the impact player rule, which allows teams to substitute a player mid match.

"I like the idea that you can do all skills, or certainly bat, and still be able to go on the field," Sophie Devine added.

(Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford )