The International Cricket Council (ICC) has established a new powerplay rule for reduced T20Is, effective July 10, 2025. The new adjusted regulation allows for a more accurate computation of PowerPlay overs when the innings is reduced due to rain or other interruptions. Traditionally, the first six overs of a 20-over innings are designated as the PowerPlay, with only two fielders permitted beyond the 30-yard circle. This six-over span accounts for roughly 30% of all innings.
However, when matches are trimmed to 8 or 9 overs, the PowerPlay overs were formerly rounded to the nearest full over, which occasionally disrupted the game’s balance. An early 8-over match featured only two PowerPlay overs, accounting for barely 25% of the total.
This disparity prompted the ICC Men’s Cricket Committee to reconsider the rule.
The newly implemented algorithm will now compute PowerPlay overs by rounding off to the closest ball rather than the nearest over, bringing the powerplay duration closer to the desired 30% of total overs. Under the new rule, an eight-over innings will now have 2.2 overs of PowerPlay, while a nine-over innings would contain 2.4 overs.
Revised PowerPlay allocations:
| Match reduced (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 |
In an 8-over inning, the umpire will mark the end of the PowerPlay after two balls in the third over, allowing three additional fielders to go outside the 30-yard circle.
“This table has been used in the T20 Blast in England for many years, and halting a powerplay midway through an over has not caused any problems for players or officials. The ICC Men’s Cricket Committee has now acknowledged it as the preferable method for moving forward. In the 8-over example above, the umpire will signal after two balls in the third over, at which point three more fielders can drop back from within the circle,” the ICC instructed the members, as reported by.
India
