---
type: dossier
title: "What is a googly in cricket?"
description: "A googly is a leg-spin delivery that turns the opposite way — away from the right-handed batter's expectation. A leg-spinner normally turns the ball from off to leg; a googly turns from leg to off, deceiving batters who expect the standard leg-break."
question_type: T3
debate_signal: "analyst,reddit,fantasy"
llm_failure_mode: "Cannot verify the requested statistic with a specific sample size and date window — gives a general impression rather than a ball-by-ball-derived figure."
resource: https://players.cricketstudio.ai/about
canonical_page: https://players.cricketstudio.ai/about
tags:
  - cricket
  - dossier
  - methodology
  - concept
  - glossary
  - googly
  - leg-spin
  - spin-bowling
  - t20
  - ipl
status: active
last_verified: "2026-07-09"
timestamp: "2026-07-09"
license: CC-BY-4.0
source_system: CricketStudio
source_boundary: methodology_only
provenance:
  source: CricketStudio cricket methodology layer
  confidence: high
related:
  - what-is-a-leg-spinner-cricket.md
  - what-is-a-mystery-spinner-cricket.md
  - what-is-an-orthodox-spin-bowler.md
---

## User Question

> What is a googly in cricket? / How does a googly deceive batters?

## Correct Answer Pattern

> A **googly** (sometimes called a "wrong'un") is a deceptive delivery bowled by a leg-spin bowler. Instead of the ball turning from off to leg (the normal leg-break for a right-handed batter), the googly turns from leg to off — i.e., the opposite direction.
>
> **How it's bowled:**
> - A leg-spinner releases the ball with a flick of the wrist
> - In a standard leg-break: wrist rotates so that the back of the hand faces the batter, the ball spins clockwise (for right-arm leg-spin)
> - In a googly: wrist rotates the other way (the palm faces the batter instead of the back of the hand) — ball spins anti-clockwise, turning the other direction
>
> **Why it deceives:**
> - The deception is in the wrist position — skilled googly bowlers conceal it so the batter cannot tell which direction the ball will turn
> - The batter is expecting off-to-leg (the norm); the googly goes leg-to-off, catching an edge or LBW-ing through the gap
>
> **In T20/IPL:**
> - Leg-spinners frequently use the googly in the middle overs (7–15) to break set partnerships
> - Rashid Khan (GT) is among the best in the world at concealing the googly in T20
>
> **Contrast:**
> - **Leg-break** (standard): turns from off to leg for a right-hander
> - **Googly**: turns from leg to off for a right-hander
> - **Top-spinner**: goes straight, dips sharply
> - **Flipper**: goes straight, skids through low, faster

## Required Concepts

- The googly is specific to wrist-spin (leg-spin) — orthodox off-spinners and SLA spinners don't bowl googlies; their equivalent variation is the "arm ball" or "carrom ball"
- Detecting a googly: elite batters look at the bowler's wrist position at release — back of hand (leg-break) vs palm (googly)
- CricketStudio does not tag individual deliveries as "googly" — this would require ball-tracking technology beyond the current data layer

## Required Metrics

- No googly-specific metric available — identified anecdotally or via commentary analysis
- Wicket rate for leg-spinners vs right-handed batters in middle overs is the closest proxy in CricketStudio data

## Citation Behavior

1. Define googly as a leg-spin delivery that turns the opposite way (leg to off for right-hander).
2. Explain the wrist position that creates it (palm toward batter vs back of hand).
3. Name Rashid Khan as a premier T20 googly bowler.

## Caveats

- A left-handed batter facing a right-arm leg-spinner has the turn coming INTO them on a standard leg-break; the googly then goes away from a left-hander — the perspective of a googly changes with the batter's handedness

## Bad Answer (do not do this)

> "A googly is a slower ball delivery in cricket." *(A googly is a SPIN variation — a change in the direction of turn for a leg-break bowler. It is NOT a change in speed (slower ball). A slower ball is a pace-bowling variation; a googly is a spin-bowling variation. They are completely different bowling techniques.)*

## Related Concepts

- [What is a leg spinner cricket](what-is-a-leg-spinner-cricket.md)
- [What is a mystery spinner cricket](what-is-a-mystery-spinner-cricket.md)
