Weirdest Superstitions in Cricket Dressing Rooms

Cricket is often seen as a gentleman’s game — all technique, poise, and planning. But step inside the dressing room, and you’ll find something else entirely: ritual, routine, and sometimes outright ridiculousness. Welcome to the secretive world of cricketing superstitions — where elite athletes with analytical brains and team strategists still put blind faith in lucky socks, unwashed gear, and the mysterious power of always sitting on that bench.

It’s not unique to cricket, of course. Superstition runs deep in all sports. But there’s something about cricket’s slow rhythm and psychological intensity — its battles within battles — that invites even the most rational players to surrender to the illogical.

Why do some openers only walk out on the right foot? Why do players not speak when a teammate’s on 87? Why, in some squads, is moving someone else’s pads considered sacrilege?

These aren’t just quirks. They’re rituals that evolve into lore, passed down, half-mocked, half-respected — and fiercely protected.

Let’s pull back the curtain on the weirdest, most wonderful (and honestly worrying) superstitions that live rent-free inside the minds of cricket’s finest — all hidden behind the dressing room door.

1. Left Pad First: The Most Popular Ritual in Cricket

Ask any Test cricketer about their pre-innings routine, and chances are you’ll hear one phrase: left pad first. It’s cricket’s most common superstition — a small gesture loaded with disproportionate significance.

For some, it started innocently. One day, they padded up left leg first, scored a century, and from that point forward, left pad first became law. It’s simple, harmless — and apparently lucky.

The superstition is so widespread it cuts across continents. English openers, Pakistani spinners, Aussie all-rounders — players from wildly different backgrounds united in the irrational belief that one shin guard has mystic powers. Some even go further: left sock first, left glove second, helmet last. If any part of the sequence is broken, they claim to “feel off”.

And if things go wrong? The pad becomes the scapegoat. A first-ball duck? Obviously, the order was wrong. It can’t be technique. It’s never the pitch. It’s always the pad.

What’s remarkable is how many players — even those not usually superstitious — stick to it. Coaches often say nothing, partly out of respect, partly out of fear of breaking the spell.

In the grand scheme of cricket rituals, “left pad first” might seem tame. But in the dressing room, it’s sacred. And, frankly, messing with someone’s pad order is more dangerous than sledging their mother.

2. The Lucky Undergarments Nobody Talks About

Let’s address the (probably unwashed) elephant in the room: lucky underwear.

Every sport has its share of smelly traditions, and cricket is no exception. From socks that haven’t seen detergent in a month to boxers held together by hope and superstition alone, cricketers have been known to hang on to "lucky" garments for far longer than socially acceptable.

One county player famously refused to change his underpants across an entire season because he kept taking wickets while wearing them. By August, his teammates had collectively invested in air fresheners for the dressing room — but no one dared challenge the routine.

Even international players aren't immune. Stories float around of bowlers slipping on the same sweatbands for years, or batters convinced their run of form was sewn into a single pair of briefs. Cleanliness? Optional. Performance? Non-negotiable.

Of course, there’s no proof that cotton-weave compression has any impact on footwork or bowling action. But try telling that to someone who just hit 150 not out in pants with more holes than logic.

In the strange superstition hierarchy, lucky underwear is among the most devout — rarely discussed, never challenged, and always... aromatic.

3. The Bat That Must Never Be Changed

Every cricketer has a favourite bat — but for some, it’s less an equipment preference and more an emotional dependency. These are the players who, once in form, refuse to change bats under any circumstance.

Even when the grip is peeling, the handle’s cracked, and the toe is one Yorker away from shattering into kindling — the bat stays.

This superstition has roots in the idea that a bat carries energy, confidence, or — as some describe it — “a touch”. Once a player scores runs with a specific blade, they often believe it becomes an extension of their confidence. Changing it mid-innings? Unthinkable. Letting someone else touch it? Practically a sin.

Virender Sehwag famously used a single bat for almost an entire Test series, even after multiple edge marks and a visible crack appeared. Steve Smith is similarly known to favour one specific bat for months at a time, trusting its feel over fresh timber.

Some players even carry backup bats that are identical — in weight, balance, and feel — but will refuse to use them until their “magic one” fails. And even then, it’s done reluctantly.

To the outsider, it’s just wood. To the player, it’s talisman, therapist, and lucky charm rolled into one.

4. Silent Dressing Rooms: Don’t Jinx the Score

If you’ve ever watched a batter reach the 80s or 90s and noticed the commentators go quiet, it’s not just professional restraint — it’s superstition. But nowhere is this silence more enforced than inside the dressing room.

When a teammate nears a milestone — a half-century, century, or even just a gritty 40 not out — the dressing room hushes like a library. No one dares speak the number. No one says “You’re nearly there.” Because to do so is to tempt fate.

There’s even a phrase for it: “Don’t jinx it.”

Players will avoid eye contact, postpone high-fives, and even suppress laughter if the batter in the middle is on a roll. Once, an Indian domestic side reportedly kept the entire room silent for 45 minutes because a No. 11 was inching towards a historic ten-run stand.

If the batter falls just short, everyone blames the one guy who said, “Well batted so far.” And yes — there’s always one.

This superstition is part etiquette, part magical thinking. But it’s deeply ingrained. Because in cricket, belief is powerful. And when you’re sitting on 99 not out, silence becomes a superstition in itself.

5. No Haircuts on Match Days

While most athletes obsess over fitness and form, cricketers — some of them, at least — worry about haircuts. Specifically: not getting one on the day of a match.

The belief? Cutting your hair on match day is essentially cutting away your luck.

This superstition varies across teams, but it’s oddly common in subcontinental cricketing cultures. Some players swear that every time they trimmed their hair on game day, they either got out cheaply or bowled terribly. Others avoid shaving altogether on tour, growing accidental beards that become sacred the moment they take wickets.

One well-known South African pacer once delayed a scheduled trim after taking a five-wicket haul. He later told teammates, “I’m not risking my form for aesthetics.”

It’s not about vanity — it’s about continuity. Cricketers live in streaks: scoring streaks, wicket streaks, even injury streaks. Anything that breaks routine can feel dangerous, and nothing breaks routine like stepping out with a fresh fade.

Barbers near cricket grounds often report last-minute cancellations on match mornings. And no dressing room in the world wants to be responsible for breaking someone’s form with a rogue side-part.

So if a cricketer turns up looking slightly shaggy — trust that it’s deliberate.

6. The Superstitions of Captains: Toss-Rituals and Coin-Fetishes

Captains may be the most tactical minds on the field, but they’re not immune to quirks — especially when it comes to the toss.

Some captains carry a lucky coin — one they’ve used for years and won’t replace even if it’s nearly unreadable. Others insist on calling “heads” every time, or have specific routines before flipping: three rubs between the fingers, spin left not right, no eye contact with the referee.

MS Dhoni was once rumoured to have used the same coin throughout a tournament. Steve Waugh used to fiddle with his cap before every toss. These gestures, while subtle, became etched into their leadership DNA.

It doesn’t stop at the coin. Some skippers insist on standing on the same patch of turf during the anthem. Others need to shake hands in a specific order — bowler, coach, keeper — before heading out.

These rituals are rarely mentioned aloud. They’re too personal. Too sacred. But once they’re in place, they’re almost impossible to break — especially if a few early toss wins translate into match victories.

And if a toss gets lost after breaking the sequence? Expect a silent, internalised meltdown — one that usually ends with a muttered “Never doing that again.”

7. Changing Seat Positions: The Untouchable Chair

Within a cricket dressing room, there’s a silent hierarchy — and it often starts with chairs.

Over the course of a Test match or series, players tend to gravitate towards the same seat. It becomes their spot: familiar, lucky, safe. But in some cases, it becomes more than just preference. It becomes obsession.

Some players will return to the exact same seat — in the same corner, facing the same direction — every match. If someone else sits there, tensions rise. You might be politely asked to move. Or, if it’s a senior player, you’ll just find your gear relocated without a word.

There are infamous stories of players refusing to pad up until they’ve got “their” chair back. One former England player reportedly sat on a windowsill for an hour because a teammate accidentally took his spot and refused to budge.

In team culture, these things are understood. If you score a century sitting in seat five, seat five becomes yours — indefinitely. If you take a wicket every time you sit by the kit bag, you sit by the kit bag until someone pries it from your superstitious hands.

The dressing room may look like organised chaos. But seating? That’s sacred geometry.

8. Team-Wide Superstitions: When Everyone Buys In

While individual superstitions are common, some of the weirdest — and funniest — emerge when entire teams start believing the same thing.

Case in point: the Sri Lankan side that once ate the same pre-match meal — chicken biryani — for five straight games after a winning streak. Or the IPL franchise that entered the field in the exact same order every match, even if it meant the spinner walked out before the wicket-keeper.

Then there’s the tale of an Australian state team that started wearing mismatched socks after a surprise win. When they won again the next game, the sock misalignment became gospel. It lasted an entire season.

These superstitions may sound silly, but they serve a psychological purpose. In the pressure-cooker of professional cricket, any sense of control — no matter how irrational — can boost morale. And when a team collectively buys in? It becomes part of the culture.

Some teams will even create rituals just for luck: rubbing the same kitbag for good fortune, entering the hotel lift in a set order, or blasting the same (questionable) song before warmups.

Are these habits rooted in logic? No.
Do they help? Absolutely — if only because they feel like they do.

Conclusion: Superstition, Sanity, and the Cricketing Mind

Superstitions in cricket dressing rooms might sound absurd — and, often, they are. But they’re also a window into the mindset of elite athletes living in an unpredictable world.

In a sport built on fine margins — where a nick, a bounce, or a flick of breeze can change a game — rituals become anchors. Whether it’s a lucky seat, an ancient bat, or the sacred act of putting on the left pad first, these quirks offer comfort and control where there often is none.

Critics may scoff. But in the dressing room, belief matters. Not because it bends reality — but because it shapes mindset. And in cricket, that’s everything.

So next time a batter mutters something under their breath, or a bowler refuses a haircut, or a team marches out in perfect order — remember: it might look weird from the outside. But inside that bubble, it’s deadly serious.

Because in cricket, superstition isn’t madness.
It’s tradition dressed in pads.