The world of cricket has always been witnessing verse to innovations. After T20 cricket revolutionized the game, especially the commercial aspect of the game, there has been introduction of plenty of new formats in the sport. The inaugural edition of England’s The Hundred was received well and the West Indies, who are seen as the flagbearers of T20 cricket, has come up with a new format, The 6IXTY.
The 10-overs-per-side game that will only be having six wickets per innings is a joint venture of the Cricket West Indies and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and the first edition of the tournament will be played at the Warner Park in St Kitts & Nevis from August 24 to 28. The inaugural edition of the 6IXTY will be featuring 6 men’s teams from the CPL and 3 women’s sides.
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Labeled as the Power Game, the 6IXTY was unveiled in the world of the cricket world in a video message by legendary Chris Gayle on Wednesday, June 22. In a press release regarding the same, the CPL said, “This revolutionary format will see brand new innovations that will change T10 cricket and make the game even faster-paced and action-packed.”
60 balls, 6 men's teams, 3 women's teams, radical new rules. Join us as we see the CPL teams compete in @6ixtycricket #CricketsPowerGame #6ixtyCricket #CPL22 https://t.co/i8TGhUFafz
— CPL T20 (@CPL) June 22, 2022
Each batting team has six wickets – at the fall of the sixth wicket, they are all out. Each batting team will be having two PowerPlay overs and an extra powerplay can be unlocked if they manage to hit two sixes in the first 12 balls. This extra PowerPlay over can be taken at any time between overs 3-9. There will be 30 balls bowled from one end before the action switches to the other end for the remaining 30 balls.
The 30 balls will be delivered as 5 separate overs, with no bowler being able to bowl more than 2 overs for the innings. If teams do not bowl their overs within the allotted time, the bowling team will be able to field just 10 players in the final over. Fans will vote for the timing of a “Mystery Free Hit” where a batter can’t be dismissed by the bowler.
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Pete Russell, the CEO of the Caribbean Premier League, confirmed “This is a hugely exciting moment for both CPL and Cricket West Indies as we create a tournament that will see cricket fans brought closer to the game. There will be world-class men’s and women’s cricketers taking part in a fantastic event for the Caribbean and this combined with cutting-edge innovations, signals a great moment for all fans of West Indian cricket.”
Notably, the 2022 edition of the CPL will be played between August 30 and September 30 with the men and women’s tournaments running alongside each other.
