For any admirer of the game of Cricket, October 18 was a Super Duper Sunday as we witnessed three Super Overs on a double-header day in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). However, the most fascinating of the two games was the historic encounter between Mumbai Indian and Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), in which the winner was decided through back to back Super Overs.
It was a rare occasion when both the original match as well as the one-over decider were both tied. Previously, under such circumstances the match would have been awarded to the team that had hit most boundaries during the main game, like it was done in the famous ICC Cricket World Cup Final in 2019. But, after outrage, ICC amended the rules and now as per the new regulations we will continue to have Super Overs one after another until we get a clear winner.
And the first-ever on-field implementations of the rule happened in the Mumbai vs Punjab fixture in which KXIP eventually got past Mumbai after chasing down 12 in the Second Super Over.
Meanwhile, CricketNews has found out a few interesting facts, which we had learnt during this historic fixture involving the first-ever Second Super Over.
What are the specific rules in case of a Second Super Over?
If the first Super Over is tied, then subsequent Super Overs will take place until there is a clear winner. Under normal circumstances, any subsequent Super Over needs to start following a five-minute break after the previous Super Over.
The team batting second in the previous Super Over bats first in the subsequent Super Over so that both teams can maintain momentum.
Any batsman dismissed in any previous Super Over will be ineligible to bat in any subsequent Super Over. That’s why KL Rahul, Nicolas Pooran and Quinton de kock were ineligible to bat when the Second Super Over was played.
Any bowler who bowled in the previous Super Over will be ineligible to bowl in the subsequent Super Over and that was the reason why Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami did not bowl on the second occasion.
The balls selected for use by each team in the previous Super Over have to be used again by the same team in any subsequent Super Over(s).
The fielding side bowls its over in a subsequent Super Over from the opposite end from which it bowled in the previous Super Over. So, in case of shorter boundary at one end, teams might need to adapt quickly.
The procedure for a subsequent Super Over is the same as for the initial Super Over.
Interestingly, it was Mumbai Indians, which hit the most number of boundaries during the original game but thanks to this amended rule, Kings XI got the two points which they required to keep their Playoff hopes alive. Now imagine, what would have happened if we had a Second Super Over in the CWC19 final.
Well, if you are a New Zealand fan, our sympathies are with you.