Indian Premier League is a competition that evolves every year. Not only with respect to the standard of cricket, but IPL also stays updated with changes in the format and game rules. In line with this, BCCI recently announced that there would be few changes in IPL 2021. We would discuss them in this article.
For any competition, it is necessary to engage the audience in a better way in every edition. At the same time, the competitive edge also needs to be protected. All of this has to be made such that the game never loses its flavour. Hence, there are a few changes in IPL 2021 compared to the previous campaign.
1. No Soft Signal
One of the significant changes in IPL 2021 is that the ‘soft signal’ rule will not be active. The ‘soft signal’ has been in news in recent days. It is a norm that forces the on-field umpires to give their view of a not-so-clear decision. Once it goes upstairs, if the third umpire does not have conclusive evidence against the on-field umpire’s decision, the decision would stay. With this rule gone, the third umpire will now have a clear run at making his decision, with the kind of technology that’s at his disposal. Many howlers would be shunned in this way.
2. 90 Minutes for 20 overs
A BCCI statement said: “as a measure to control the match timings, the 20th over in each innings is now included in 90 minutes, earlier the 20th over was to start on or before the 90th minute.” This will be one of the changes in IPL 2021 that could have a significant impact on the standings. There is a ban on the captain if he does not maintain this requirement consistently. If that happens, teams like RCB, SRH and PBKS that heavily depend on their captains, could have a tough time. However, for the longevity of the game, this is a fine move.
3. Short-Run will be reviewed by Third Umpire
In IPL 2020, a wrong call by the square-leg umpire concerning a short run proved very expensive for Kings XI Punjab. They lost that game to Delhi Capitals. However, BCCI has now made a change to ensure that this does not happen again. In the new rule, the third umpire will now have the power to overrule any decision that the on-field umpire makes regarding a short-run. This is a welcome move as a short-run is anyways hard to decide without the use of technology.
4. No-Ball call can be overruled by Third Umpire
In IPL 2019, many games were affected with no-balls not being given correctly. BCCI, hence, made a relevant change in IPL 2020. It gave the power to the third umpire to call the front-foot no-balls. However, there seems to be a change in IPL 2021. As per the updated guidelines, the third umpire can overrule the no-ball decision given by the umpire on the field. This means that the on-field umpire will make the no-ball calls, although this is not specified either.
5. Changes in Super Over
Last season, we saw one of the rare occurrences of a double super-over. During that game between Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings itself, there were confusions regarding the rules. In one of the significant changes in IPL 2021, the board has provided a few updates. As per the new rule, super overs can happen until one hour after the finish of the actual 20-over game. This will make sure that the game ends in a crisp and engaging manner.
