Yeh naya niyam, jo July 2025 se lagu hoga, bolta hai ki ab powerplay overs ko nearest over ke bajay nearest ball ke hisab se gina jayega. Yani, agar match barish ya kisi aur wajah se chhota ho jata hai, toh powerplay bhi usi anupat mein chhota hoga. Yeh sunke lagta hai jaise ICC ne thodi si akal lagayi, lekin kya yeh sach mein game ko behtar banayega ya fir umpires aur players ke liye sirf ek aur headache?
Pehle, jab match chhota hota tha, powerplay ko nearest over tak round off kiya jata tha, jo kabhi-kabhi batting team ke liye na-insafi ban jata tha. Jaise, ek 9-over ke match mein 3 overs ka powerplay milta tha, jo 33% se zyada hota tha—thoda zyada hi batting-friendly! Ab, naye niyam ke tahat, 9 overs ke match mein 2.4 overs (14 balls) ka powerplay hoga, aur 8 overs ke match mein 2.2 overs (13 balls). Yeh table dekho:
| Innings Overs | Powerplay Overs | Balls |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1.3 | 9 |
| 6 | 1.5 | 11 |
| 8 | 2.2 | 13 |
| 9 | 2.4 | 14 |
| 10 | 3.0 | 18 |
| 13 | 3.5 | 21 |
| 15 | 4.3 | 27 |
Yeh badlav England ke T20 Blast se inspire hua hai, jahan yeh system kayi saalon se chalta aa raha hai bina kisi pareshani ke. Yeh niyam chhoti teams, jaise Netherlands ya Zimbabwe, ke liye kafi faydemand ho sakta hai, jo bade teams jaise India ya Australia ke against struggle karti hai. Yaad hai 2022 T20 World Cup mein Netherlands ne South Africa ko hara diya tha? Aise matches mein, agar powerplay thoda balanced ho, toh underdog teams ke paas batting mein thodi aur flexibility hoti hai, aur woh bade teams ke bowlers ko surprise kar sakte hain.
Yeh niyam fairness laane ka wada karta hai, kyunki pehle ke system mein kabhi-kabhi batting side ko zyada faida mil jata tha, jabki bowling side ke liye fielding restrictions ek nightmare ban jati thi. Ab, powerplay ka duration innings ke length ke 30% ke kareeb rahega, jo game ko dono teams ke liye thoda barabar karta hai. Isse bowlers, jaise Afghanistan ke Rashid Khan, jo apni spin se bade batsmen ko pareshan karte hain, ko thodi rahat milegi, kyunki fielders ko jaldi bahar bheja ja sakega.
Lekin socho, kya yeh sab itna simple hai? Umpires ko ab ek ball ke hisab se powerplay track karna hoga, jo shayad thodi confusion la sakta hai. Aur agar match mein barish ke interruptions baar-baar aaye, toh yeh calculations aur bhi uljhan bhare ho sakte hain. Kya ICC ne iske liye umpires ko extra training di hai, ya bas yeh ek aur rulebook ka bojh hai? Waqt hi batayega.
