Red card for slow over-rates? CPL set to introduce new rule to ensure duration of T20 games

The reason behind the introduction of T20 cricket was for fans to enjoy a crispier and shorter version of white-ball cricket. But if the T20 cricket is only being played over longer durations, what’s the point of cutting the already successful format – the 50-over one? With time, teams and tournaments worked on ways to curb slow over-rate; while a few brought ‘more fielders inside the 30-yard circle’ rule, some thought of punishing the captains with hefty fines. None worked. So now, a red card for a player as a penalty to get introduced in the upcoming season of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

Yes, you read it right!

Though cricket, in many ways, is leaning towards following the club football path, with T20 leagues getting prioritised over international cricket already, bringing the red card rule as penalties for players (during slow over-rates) is just a beginning.

In a first of its kind, the CPL – for men’s and women’s matches, has introduced severe penalties for teams not finishing the innings under stated rules.

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As per the 85-minutes-per-innings rule in the shortest format, the 17th over of the innings must be done by 72 minutes and 15 seconds, and the 18th by 76 minutes and 30 seconds. The penultimate over must be completed by 80 minutes and 45 seconds, and the final over – the 20th, must be bowled within 85 minutes.

Any team finishing their quota of 20 overs over this period (which has become a trend with T20 games getting longer with each passing year) will get punished.

"We have been disappointed that our T20 games have been getting longer and longer each year, and we want to do what we can to arrest this trend," Michael Hall, the CPL's tournament operations director, said in a statement on the subject.

"It is the duty of those involved in cricket to ensure that the game keeps moving, and we have sensitised both the franchises and our match officials to this duty ahead of the tournament. Our hope is that these in-game penalties are not needed, but we believe they are proportionate and necessary."

What are the new rules?

As per CPL, here are the new rules relating slow over-rate -

• If behind the required over rate at the start of the 18th over, one additional player must enter the fielding circle - for a total of five players inside the circle
• If behind the rate at the start of the 19th over, two additional fielders must enter the fielding circle - for a total of six inside the circle
• If behind the rate at the start of the final over, teams will lose a player from the field - selected by the captain - and have six inside the fielding circle
• There will also be an onus on batting teams to keep the game moving. After a first and final warning from the umpires, the batting team will be slapped with a five-run penalty for each instance of time wasting.

Meanwhile, the men's CPL 2023 starts on August 17 with Jamaica Tallawahs facing St Lucia Kings in Gros Islet, and the women's event will start on August 31 with a game between Barbados Royals and Guyana Amazon Warriors in Barbados.

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