Mumbai: With IPL 2021, 10 days away from kick off, BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket India) has made major changes in the updated guidelines, including no soft signal, reviewing short-run, minimum over rate to name a few.
The BCCI has set in place strict measures against the backdrop of COVID-19 including constructing a bio-secure bubble. Currently it is decided that, the matches will be held behind closed doors amid the surge of COVID-19 cases in India. As a constantly developing format, the IPL 2021 will also witness some new rules in the place. Check out what the new rules say.
Match duration
The cricket board has restricted the 20-over innings duration to 90 minutes (total game duration will be 180 minutes), provided there is no interruption such as rain, bad light. It is divided as 85 minutes of match time and five minutes for strategic timeouts. In the case of any interruptions, four minutes and 15 seconds will be deducted for each over lost from the total time. The minimum over-rate should be attained in an hour has also been specified as 14.1 overs without considering the time taken for timeouts.
Short run call
Ahead of the IPL 2021 season, the third umpire will have the power to cancel on-field umpire's decision to cut a run from the batting team's total for batsmen not being able to cross the crease line while searching for the run. There was a big controversy in last season held in the UAE during the match between Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab) as a wrong call by the square leg umpire to dock a run proved costly for KL Rahul side.
Super over
Another updated clause in the new rule book is that in an uninterrupted match, subsequent super overs can be played till an hour's time from the actual completed time of the tied matches (Clause 16.3.1).
No ball
According to the new guidelines for the IPL 2021, the third umpire can overrule the no-ball decision made by the on-field umpire.
No soft signal
The soft-signal by the on-field umpire has already constructed confusion. There are multiple debates from past few weeks. For the IPL 2021, the BCCI has done away with the soft-signal. The on-field umpire can still give a soft-signal if a decision is being mentioned but the it will have no bearing on the decision taken by the third umpire.
The BCCI said, “Should both on-field umpires require assistance from the third umpire to make a decision, the bowler's end umpire shall firstly take a decision on-field after consulting with the striker's end umpire, before consulting by two-way radio with the third umpire.”
IPL 2021 will begin from April 9 where defending champions Mumbai Indians will take on Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore at MA Chidambaram Stadium.