A free hit in cricket is a delivery awarded to the batter immediately following a bowler's no-ball. On a free hit, the batter cannot be dismissed by most conventional methods such as being bowled, caught, leg before wicket (LBW), stumped, or hit wicket. The only ways the batter can be dismissed on a free hit are run out, hitting the ball twice, or obstructing the field- dismissals that are also possible on a no-ball delivery

. The free hit rule is primarily used in limited-overs cricket formats like One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 matches. It was introduced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2007 to penalize bowlers for bowling no-balls and to give the batting side an advantage for the next delivery after such an infringement

. Key points about the free hit include:

• It follows immediately after a no-ball delivery.
• The umpire signals a free hit by circling one arm above the head.
• The fielding side cannot change the field placement for the free hit delivery unless the striker changes.
• If the free hit delivery itself is a no-ball or wide, the free hit carries over to the next delivery.
• Batters can play more aggressively on a free hit since they cannot be dismissed by most common methods, increasing scoring opportunities

In essence, the free hit rule shifts pressure onto the bowler and provides the batting team a chance to capitalize on the bowler's error by scoring runs with minimal risk of losing their wicket

. Examples of free hit impacts include situations where a batter is bowled on a free hit but still scores runs because the ball goes to the boundary as byes, since dismissal modes like bowled do not apply on free hits

. Overall, the free hit is a strategic element designed to discourage illegal bowling and enhance the excitement and scoring potential in limited-overs cricket