DOT SEASON 4 LEAGUE RULES

2 Divisions • 6 Teams Each • 12 Teams Total

Season: February 2 - April 19

14-Player Rosters • 7 Doubles Lines Weekly • Every Player Plays Weekly

1. League Format

Divisions

Each team will play every other team in their Division in the regular season.

The line formation rules will remain the same for the entire season, including playoffs.

Team Roster

Player Replacement (once the League has started)

In case of emergency, injury or other genuine cases, replacement will be permitted. The replacement will come from the 'Waitlist'. Players who have played other Desi leagues may be preferred for replacement over players with no history in desi leagues even if they are in the 'Waitlist'.

Once a replacement is selected, the original player will NOT be permitted to play this season.

Captains should inform the ECs if a replacement is needed. The EC's will get back to the captain with potential replacement(s) from the Waitlist or from other sources if they are unable to find a suitable replacement within the Waitlisted players.

2. Regular Season Format

Division Play

Match Scheduling

Lineup Submission

  • Due: Previous Thursday 9 PM for the following week's matches
  • If lineups are not received by the cutoff time, the prior week's lineup will be defaulted to the next week's play
  • All lineups will be published in the portal by Thursday 10 PM

Match Completion Timeline

A duration of 2 weeks is provided to complete all the matches for each round.

Scheduling Responsibilities

Rainouts or delays because of weather conditions or other genuine emergency situations must be completed by the Play By Date.

The home team is responsible for booking courts and providing balls for the match.

The home captain is responsible for entering the scores in the portal.

Match Rescheduling

Late Passes

Each team will be provided 5 late passes for their regular season matches.

  • Requests for late passes should be raised by the captain before a match is scheduled
  • In cases where a scheduled match is either incomplete or cannot be completed within the 2 week timeframe, the concerned captain can request a late pass to reschedule the match
  • Any match using the late pass will have to be completed in the 3rd week before Sunday 5 PM
  • In case the match needs to be postponed again, the other captain can request a late pass for an additional week and needs to be completed by the 4th Sunday 5 PM
  • There will not be any further rescheduling permitted
  • If the match is incomplete, both teams will be awarded 0 points for the match

3. Line Formation Rules

Each team match includes 7 doubles lines:

Line Composition

  • Line 1 (L1) - R1, R2, R3, R4
  • Line 2 (L2) - R2, R3, R4, R5, R6
  • Line 3 (L3) - R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7
  • Line 4 (L4) - R5, R6, R7, R8, R9, R10
  • Line 5 (L5) - R7, R8, R9, R10, R11, R12, R13
  • Line 6 (L6) - R8, R9, R10, R11, R12, R13
  • Line 7 (L7) - R11, R12, R13, R14

Line Formation Matrix

Rank L1 L2 L3 L4 L5 L6 L7
R1
R2
R3
R4
R5
R6
R7
R8
R9
R10
R11
R12
R13
R14

4. Defaults

Defaults

Disallowed Actions

  • Illegal line formation
  • Player substitution without informing both the captains and EC's

The line will be treated as default and the team will be awarded 0 points for that line.

5. Scoring & Standings

All matches are best of 3 sets. A set is completed when one pair wins 6 games with a margin of at least 2 games. If the set score reaches 6-6, a 7-point tiebreaker with a margin of 2 will be played to determine the winner of that set.

By default, if the set score is 1-1, the teams will play a 3rd set. If all 4 players agree before the start of the match, then a 12-point tiebreaker will be played instead of a full 3rd set. If not, a full set will be played.

Match Points

6. Team Standings

Standings are determined by:

  1. Total points earned (lines won)
  2. Head-to-head results
  3. Fewest sets lost
  4. Fewest games lost
  5. Coin toss

Each division maintains its own standings (A and B separate).

7. Sportsmanship & Conduct

8. On-Court Rules

15-Minute Default Rule: A 15-minute default rule will be enforced for all games. If one team is not present within 15 minutes of the mutually agreed start time, that team will forfeit the game, and the opposing team will be awarded the points.

Match Continuity Rule

Once a match has started, it cannot be paused or stopped to be completed on another day, nor delayed for more than 5 minutes, unless for valid reasons (see below). Any team causing such a pause or stop (without a valid reason) will forfeit the match, and the opposing team will be awarded the points.

Valid reasons include:

  • Rain delays or deteriorating court conditions, such as non-working lights

NOT valid reasons:

  • Player injury
  • Leaving court for family or other commitments

Any exception to this rule must be discussed between the ECs and the respective Captains to reach a resolution. ECs will have the ultimate authority over any exceptions.

NOTE: For any undefined scenarios, conflicts, extensions, exceptions etc., ECs will try to find resolution based on ALTA rules as guidelines. ALL DECISIONS BY ECs ARE FINAL.

9. Playoff Format

Teams Advancing

Player Replacement

In case of emergency, injury or other genuine cases, replacement will be permitted. The replacement will come from the teams that did not make the playoffs. The captain requesting a replacement will select a player for that specific rank through a draw based on player availability from the 4 teams that did not make the playoffs.

If all players for that rank are not available, the next lower rank players will be considered for replacement. (If a captain requests replacement for their Rank 6 players, 1 of 4 players from the teams that did not make the playoffs will be picked from a draw. If all the 4 Rank 6 players are not available, the available Rank 7 players will be considered for replacement.)

Once a replacement is selected, the original player will NOT be permitted to play this season.

Quarterfinals (Cross-Division)

  • A1 vs B4
  • A2 vs B3
  • A3 vs B2
  • A4 vs B1

Semifinals

  • Winner of A1/B4 vs Winner of B2/A3
  • Winner of A2/B3 vs Winner of B1/A4

Finals

Semifinal winners play for the championship.

Playoff Lineup Rules

Same rules as the regular season apply for all lines.

DIVISION A: 5-Week Regular Season Schedule

Teams

Madurai Veerans - Rajaguru
Kakathiya Kings - Veera
Bengal Tigers - Chandra
Mumbai Maharajas - Kishore
Tanjore Bulls - Ram
Chennai Super Kings - Shiv

Each team plays the other teams once.

WEEK 1

Madurai Veerans - Rajaguru vs Kakathiya Kings - Veera
Bengal Tigers - Chandra vs Mumbai Maharajas - Kishore
Tanjore Bulls - Ram vs Chennai Super Kings - Shiv

WEEK 2

Madurai Veerans - Rajaguru vs Bengal Tigers - Chandra
Kakathiya Kings - Veera vs Tanjore Bulls - Ram
Mumbai Maharajas - Kishore vs Chennai Super Kings - Shiv

WEEK 3

Madurai Veerans - Rajaguru vs Mumbai Maharajas - Kishore
Kakathiya Kings - Veera vs Bengal Tigers - Chandra
Tanjore Bulls - Ram vs Chennai Super Kings - Shiv

WEEK 4

Madurai Veerans - Rajaguru vs Tanjore Bulls - Ram
Kakathiya Kings - Veera vs Mumbai Maharajas - Kishore
Bengal Tigers - Chandra vs Chennai Super Kings - Shiv

WEEK 5

Madurai Veerans - Rajaguru vs Chennai Super Kings - Shiv
Kakathiya Kings - Veera vs Bengal Tigers - Chandra
Mumbai Maharajas - Kishore vs Tanjore Bulls - Ram

DIVISION B: 5-Week Regular Season Schedule

Teams

RCB - Ashwin
Delhi Aces - Leela
Hyderabad Heroes - Suman
Guntur Strikers - Suraj
Tirupati Titans - Raj
Vizag Warriors - Shyam

Each team plays the other teams once.

WEEK 1

RCB - Ashwin vs Delhi Aces - Leela
Hyderabad Heroes - Suman vs Guntur Strikers - Suraj
Tirupati Titans - Raj vs Vizag Warriors - Shyam

WEEK 2

RCB - Ashwin vs Hyderabad Heroes - Suman
Delhi Aces - Leela vs Tirupati Titans - Raj
Guntur Strikers - Suraj vs Vizag Warriors - Shyam

WEEK 3

RCB - Ashwin vs Guntur Strikers - Suraj
Delhi Aces - Leela vs Hyderabad Heroes - Suman
Tirupati Titans - Raj vs Vizag Warriors - Shyam

WEEK 4

RCB - Ashwin vs Tirupati Titans - Raj
Delhi Aces - Leela vs Guntur Strikers - Suraj
Hyderabad Heroes - Suman vs Vizag Warriors - Shyam

WEEK 5

RCB - Ashwin vs Vizag Warriors - Shyam
Delhi Aces - Leela vs Hyderabad Heroes - Suman
Guntur Strikers - Suraj vs Tirupati Titans - Raj

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