BBL announces a flurry of new changes to the latest edition of the tournament

As the latest edition of BBL and WBBL gear up to hit our screens, Cricket Australia wants to ensure that they are taking the best possible steps forward to make this tournament a super-hit.

Cricket Australia announced a flurry of changes to the latest edition of the tournament that included an innings clock which is to be introduced to the BBL exclusively. This is to simplify the calculations for the teams where incurring a penalty may lead to the team fielding with one less fielder outside the circle.

Despite being one of the elites of the franchise tournaments, if there was one elemental part of the cricketing world that the BBL stayed away from, it was the DRS. Despite earlier attempts to introduce the DRS in the mixer, the pandemic delayed the decision as there were further pressing matters at hand.

Another interesting feature that is being introduced by the BBL is the Power Surge. The powerplay will be reduced to 4 overs but the remaining 2 overs can be used in the final 10 by the batting side where the fielding teams will be allowed only two fielders outside the circle. CA also decided to part ways with the earlier features of X-Factor and Bash Boost.

BBL General Manager, Alistair Dobson said, “The league is delighted to introduce DRS to every BBL game and the 24 simulcast Weber WBBL games, in line with the very best cricket competitions in the world. Implementing DRS has been a challenging task for the BBL, which is the most logistically complex T20 league in the world. That, plus the impact of the pandemic on travel and movement, has meant the technology has not been possible to introduce until this season.”

He further added, “Additionally, the league is pleased with the outcomes of the wider Playing Conditions review process, with the introduction of the Power Surge to WBBL and the BBL innings clock both major wins for fans.”

“We retain a clear desire to innovate and drive our leagues forward but are also willing to review decisions that have not realised the intended positive impact, such as the Bash Boost point and X-Factor substitution,” concluded Dobson.