The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced changes to some rules across all three formats, including a new rule related to the powerplay in T20 Internationals.
Sports News: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has introduced a major change in the T20 International format, implementing a new rule concerning the powerplay. Specifically, in the event of reduced overs due to rain or other reasons, the duration of the powerplay will now be determined in a new way. The ICC, in its official announcement, stated that instead of a fixed powerplay, the powerplay overs will be decided in proportion to the overs bowled.
It is worth noting that in normal conditions, a 20-over T20 match has a powerplay of 6 overs, in which the fielding team can have only 2 fielders outside the 30-yard circle. However, when the overs of the match are reduced, the powerplay overs will also be reduced or increased under the new formula.
ICC issues new table
The ICC has issued a table under this new rule, which clearly defines the powerplay limit in each over situation. For example, if the innings in a T20 International is reduced to 19 overs, the powerplay will last up to 5.4 overs. Similarly, in a 10-over match, the powerplay will be 3 overs, while in a 5-over match, only a 1.3-over powerplay will be applicable.
According to the new ICC rule, the powerplay will be as follows when the overs are reduced:
| Number of Overs | Powerplay Overs |
| 5 | 1.3 |
| 6 | 1.5 |
| 7 | 2.1 |
| 8 | 2.2 |
| 9 | 2.4 |
| 10 | 3 |
| 11 | 3.2 |
| 12 | 3.4 |
| 13 | 3.5 |
| 14 | 4.1 |
| 15 | 4.3 |
| 16 | 4.5 |
| 17 | 5.1 |
| 18 | 5.2 |
| 19 | 5.4 |
This rule was already implemented in T20 Blast
Interestingly, this rule was already in place in the popular domestic T20 competition, the T20 Blast, played in England. The model has been used there for many years, where the powerplay is determined in the same proportion when the overs are reduced. The ICC has now decided to adopt this formula in international cricket to bring more clarity and consistency to the game.
Why was this change necessary?
In fact, under the old rule, when overs were reduced, there was confusion in determining the duration of the powerplay, and sometimes both teams were delayed in getting the correct information. This also affected the strategies. The new rule, with clear calculations over the overs, will provide transparency to both fielding and batting teams, and the field umpires will also be able to signal the field settings at the right time.
The ICC has said that now, at the end of the powerplay, field umpires will signal the fielding team to indicate that normal fielding restrictions have returned. This will improve the flow of the game, and it will also be easy for the spectators to understand the rules.
Cricket fans will benefit
This new rule is also a relief for cricket fans because, many times, there was confusion on TV about the powerplay when overs were reduced due to rain. Now, with the new table, the audience will also know that if a match is of 9 overs, there will be a powerplay of 2.4 overs, while if a match is of 15 overs, the powerplay will last up to 4.3 overs.
Overall, this step by the ICC is considered important in making the game more transparent and organized, the effect of which will be clearly visible in the upcoming T20 International matches.
