While the IPL 2022 playoffs are just around the corner, there have been some major modifications in the rules regarding the rain-affected matches. The first two playoff matches, the Qualifier 1 between Gujrat Titans & Rajsthan Royals and the Eliminator between Lucknow Super Giants & Royal Challengers Bangalore are to be played in Eden Gardens. Kolkata has been receiving heavy rainfall since the last weekend and it is expected that the matches as well might get affected due to the rain. Hence, keeping in mind the threat of the playoffs getting affected, the IPL council has issued some new guidelines.
The entire 70-match-long league stage of the IPL 2022 was conducted without any rain delays. However, the all-important playoffs might not be conducted as seamlessly as the league stage due to the unfavorable weather forecast. Hence, there has been a significant number of changes in order to ensure that a winner is declared in case a match gets affected due to rain.
Guidelines & rules for IPL 2022 Playoffs
- Extra 120 minutes are available in addition to the 200 minutes of the stipulated match time.
- In case there is a delayed start, the playoff matches can start on the same day as late as 09:40 PM without any overs being lost.
- The Final match can begin as late as 10:10 PM, without any overs being lost.
- The 20-minute mid-innings break is to be halved if rain delays the match.
- Two strategic timeouts per innings will be retained.
- A reserve day (Monday, 30 May) is allotted for the final which is to be played on the 29th of May.
Rules in case of reduced overs
- The number of overs of a playoff match would be reduced if required, in order to provide each side an opportunity to bat for at least five overs.
- The five-overs-a-side game will not have any strategic timeouts and the game has to start by 11:56 PM. With a 10-minute innings break, the scheduled finish time of such a game will be 12:50 PM.
- In case the final is reduced to five-overs-a-side, it has to begin latest by 12:26 AM.
- If it is not possible to conduct a 5-overs-a-side match by the end of the extra time, the teams will play a super over if the conditions permit.
- The super over in such a case has to start by 12:56 AM.
- In case the super over as well couldn’t be played, the team that finished higher on the league stage points table will be declared as the winner.
- As there is no reserve day for the Qualifiers and the Eliminator, in case one innings has been completed and the rain plays spoilsport in the second innings, the DLS method would be brought into use if no play is possible.
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Rules for the IPL 2022 final
- In case the final starts on 29th May (at least one ball is bowled) and couldn’t be completed on the same day, the remaining of it will be played on the reserve day.
- The match on the reserve day will start from where it stopped on the original match day.
- Any match recalculations done without the match actually restarting on the previous night will be ignored.
- In the event that no play is possible on the day of the final after the toss, a fresh toss will be conducted on the reserve day.
- The same amount of playing time- five hours and 20 minutes, will be allotted for the play on the reserve day.
- The Super Over has to start by 1:20 AM in case of the IPL Final.
