BBL 2020-21 | BBL unveils new rules Power Surge, Bash Boost and X-factor player before new season

Big Bash League is well-known for its creativity, rule-changes, and being tacky in bringing outside the box ideas to play. Last year, they introduced the first of its kind, a five-team playoff system, which worked out positively. This year, before the start of the new season, Big Bash League’s Alistair Dobson confirmed the three new rule changes for the 2020-21 season - Power Surge, Bash Boost, and X-factor player for the entire season. 

"The Power Surge, X-Factor and Bash Boost prioritise scoring, exciting cricket, introduce new strategic angles and ensure there's always something to play for throughout the entire match,” Dobson said, reported Cricbuzz. 

"We're confident our fans will love what these innovations bring to the game as many of the world's top T20 players, plus our next generation of Australian stars, bring them to life on field."

With Power Surge, the batting team now will only get four overs of powerplay overs in the first six, with the last two overs that they can use post the 11th over phase in the batting innings, with the power to the batting side. This rule change is similar to the batting powerplay rule that existed in ODI cricket. 

The Bash Boost, on the other hand, is a bonus point given to the team chasing a total. The rule suggests that if the team chasing will get a bonus point "if they're above the equivalent 10-over score of their opposition". On the other hand, if they are not on target, the other side will walk away with four points. 

In regards to the X-factor player rule, Big Bash is reintroducing cricket’s most controversial rule-change, ‘super sub.’ This rule suggests that the teams should declare in the first innings at the tenth over mark of replacing one of their batters or bowlers for one of their 12th or 13th man, only if the player has not yet bowled a single over or batted.