Powerplay overs form an important phase in a T20 match. Batting sides look to get a bang on start, while the bowling sides hope for a wicket or two.
As you know, the first six overs make up the powerplay in a standard T20 match. But what about a shortened game?
If there’s over reduction, it’s obvious that powerplay will also lose some overs. Till June 2025, we saw powerplay rounded off to the nearest over. But now that won’t be the case anymore.
So, how will the powerplay work for shortened T20 matches?
See, a six-over powerplay makes up 30 percent of a complete T20 match. And to stick around this percentage, the powerplay in a shortened game will be decided on the balls rather than the overs.
Earlier, the powerplay phase went outside the 30 percent bracket in some cases. To avoid this and make things fair for everyone, the ICC Men’s Cricket Committee revised the rule.
Under the new rule, a shortened T20 match will see about 30 percent of its balls as part of the powerplay. Let’s understand this with an example.
Say a T20I between India and New Zealand is reduced to 15 overs. Now, 15 overs have 90 balls in total. And 27 balls make up 30 percent of 90 balls.
Now, if we convert 27 balls into overs, we will get 4.3 overs. So, a 15-over T20 innings will have a powerplay of 4.3 overs.
Revised Powerplay for Shortened T20 Matches
| Total Overs in an Innings | 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 |
Old Powerplay for Shortened T20 Matches
| Total Overs in an Innings | Powerplay Overs |
|---|---|
| 5-8 | 2 |
| 9-11 | 3 |
| 12-14 | 4 |
| 15-18 | 5 |
| 19-20 | 6 |
In the old system, the powerplay would’ve stretched to five overs for a 15-over innings. And since this breached the 30 percent bracket, it made things unfair for the bowling side.
After a successful trial in England’s T20 Blast, the ICC decided to implement the new powerplay method in shortened T20Is.
While the revised powerplay rule has come into effect, the fielding restrictions remain in place. The fielding restrictions will also remain in place till the curtailed powerplay.
Going by our above example, two fielders will remain outside the circle till 4.3 overs. Then, five fielders can stand outside till the 15th over.
One thing to keep in mind is both teams need to play a minimum of five overs to have a result in a shortened T20 match.
Read Next | What is the New Boundary Catch Rule in Cricket?
