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June 27, 2025

ICC introduces new powerplay rules for shortened men’s T20 matches

ICC introduces new powerplay rules for shortened men’s T20 matches
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The International Cricket Council (ICC) has ratified an adjusted formula for the Powerplay time in decreased-length men's T20 Internationals, to be implemented in July 2025.

The new rules also change truncated matches so that Powerplay length will be rounded nearest ball rather than the nearest over. This makes sure that the Powerplay does not go very far over 30 per cent of the innings. For instance:

  • An 8-over innings now features 2.2 overs (14 balls) of Powerplay
  • A 9-over game has 2.4 overs
  • A 6-over match includes 1.5 overs
  • A 7-over match includes 2.1 overs

Previously, rounding Powerplay to the nearest whole over led to fielding imbalance in rain-shortened games, over- or under-rewarding either batters or bowlers. The new calculation aligns more precisely with game length to maintain fairness.

This ball-by-ball method has been successfully used in England’s T20 Blast for years. According to the report, ending Powerplays mid-over “has caused no difficulty for players or officials”.

The changes take effect from 2 July 2025 alongside other adjustments to white-ball playing conditions.

The ICC hopes to promote fairness and maintain the targetised competitive balance in the short T20s (either due to inclement weather or lack of available time) by taking a more specific process and amounts of overs that will be proportionally decreased, to Powerplay overs. This adjustment minimizes unfairness in the field and parallels an example that has been experimented with in the best domestic leagues.


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