The upcoming Caribbean Premier League (CPL 2023) will introduce the novel concept of red cards to combat slow overrate issues in this year’s men’s and women’s competitions.
As per the organizers, the teams will incur strict penalties for bowling their overs slowly with the red card system of removing a player from the ground if the fielding side is behind schedule at the start of the 20th over of an inning, a first in the history of the game.
The third umpire will monitor the time and communicate the over rate status at various stages to the players every over via the on-field umpires and through graphics on the giant screen. The bowling side will be given concessions for injuries, DRS, and the deliberate waste of time by the batting side.
"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. 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. We hope that these in-game penalties are not needed, but we believe they are proportionate and necessary,” remarked Michael Hall, the Tournament Operations Director of the CPL.
The upper limit to complete the twenty overs remains the same for either team - 85 minutes - but with a closer eye on the last four overs:
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1. The 17th over needs to be finished by 72 minutes and 15 seconds, barring which, one extra fielder must be inside the 30-yard circle before the start of the 18th over (a total of five).
2. The 18th over must be finished by 76 minutes and 30 seconds, barring which, two extra fielders must be inside the 30-yard circle before the start of the 19th over (a total of six).
3. The 19th over must be finished by 80 minutes and 45 seconds, barring which, one fielder will be eliminated from the field before the beginning of the 20th over, and six fielders inside the circle. The fielder to be eliminated can be chosen by the fielding captain.
Even the batting teams will be incentivized to be punctual. After one warning for time-wasting, the batting side is liable to a penalty of five runs for every further instance of time-wasting.
The CPL 2023 starts on August 17 with Jamaica Tallawahs taking on St Lucia Kings in Gros Islet, while the WCPL event will start on September 1 with a game between Barbados Royals and Guyana Amazon Warriors in Bridgetown, Barbados.
(Cricbuzz inputs)
