BBL 2019 | Multiple super overs to be played in case of tied final

Cricket Australia (CA) have never been shy of ditching tradition and implementing progressive yet fun rules to the game and now, they have once again pulled a rabbit out of the hat to bemuse cricket fans around the world. The forthcoming edition of the Big Bash League (BBL) and Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) will see multiple super overs being played in case of a tied final, meaning the teams will keep playing until there's a clear-cut winner. 

This welcome change comes as a breath of fresh air, as many an expert voiced their discontentment over the dubious tie-breaker rule in the 2019 World Cup Final which saw England triumph over New Zealand by the virtue of hitting more boundaries, despite the two teams ending up with the same score in the super over. 

"The Super Over has been a discussion point globally after the ICC Cricket World Cup Final. The WBBL04 Semi-Final between the Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Renegades gave us valuable insight into the feelings of teams and fans towards Super Overs," CA's Head of Big Bash Leagues Alistair Dobson told cricket.com.au.

"We hope that allowing for multiple Super Overs in WBBL and BBL Finals will provide our teams and fans with the best possible experience. We look forward to another competitive season for both leagues and believe we have a strong system in place should a nail-biting knockout match arise," he added.

The new playing conditions allow "unlimited" number of super overs to be played, but in case of "unavoidable time restraints" such as venue regulations and broadcast constraints, the amount of super overs that can be played will be curtailed and in such cases, the team that finished higher in the points table will be crowned the champions. 

On the other hand, a tied Super Over in a round-robin match would see the two teams split points with each other. Earlier, the boundary countback rule was used to split the two teams in such a scenario.