Super Over Rules Explained
A super over is a one-over-per-side eliminator used to settle a tied limited-overs match. Each team picks three batters and one bowler, faces six legal balls, and loses its innings if two wickets fall. The side with more runs wins. Under current super over rules in international cricket, if the super over is also tied, another one is played, and that repeats until there’s a winner.
That’s the core of it, but the details matter, and they’ve changed a lot since the 2019 World Cup final at Lord’s, when England beat New Zealand on boundary count after the super over finished level. This guide covers how a super over works, who can bat and bowl, what happens when it’s tied, and the famous matches that shaped the rules.
Quick answer
- A super over is used when a T20 or ODI match ends with scores level.
- Each side faces one over, nominating three batters; two wickets end the innings.
- The team that batted second in the match bats first in the super over.
- If the super over is tied, more super overs follow until there’s a winner. Boundary count was scrapped in October 2019.
- A batter dismissed in one super over, and a bowler who bowled the previous one, cannot be used in the next.
- Super over runs and wickets don’t count in players’ career statistics.
What is a super over in cricket?
A super over is a mini-match tagged on to the end of a tied white-ball game. Instead of sharing the points or ordering a replay, both teams get one more over each, and the higher score takes the win.
It was introduced to replace the bowl-out, a penalty shoot-out style tiebreaker where bowlers aimed at unguarded stumps. The bowl-out’s most famous moment came at the first World T20 in 2007, when India beat Pakistan 3-0 in Durban after a tied group game. It was fun, but it had little to do with the cricket that had come before.
The first super over in a T20 international was played on 26 December 2008 at Eden Park, Auckland, where West Indies beat New Zealand. The ICC added super overs to ODI knockout matches from the 2011 World Cup, but the first one in a men’s ODI wasn’t needed until the 2019 World Cup final.
Super over rules: how it works step by step
Here’s how a super over runs under ICC playing conditions, which most international and franchise competitions follow closely.
- The match is tied. Scores are level at the end of both innings, including after any rain adjustments under the DLS method.
- A short break. The super over normally starts a few minutes after the match ends, with time for teams to choose their players.
- Teams nominate players. The batting side can use up to three batters. The fielding side picks one bowler.
- The team batting second bats first. The side that chased in the main match bats first in the super over.
- The fielding captain chooses the end. The bowling side decides which end to bowl from.
- Six legal balls, two wickets. The innings lasts one over. If two wickets fall before the over ends, the innings is over.
- The other side bats. They need to beat the target to win. Matching it means another tie.
Extras, free hits and reviews
Everything that happens in a normal over applies. Wides and no-balls add a run and must be bowled again, and a no-ball is followed by a free hit, just as in the main game. One badly directed yorker that turns into a full toss above the waist can swing a super over completely.
Where the DRS is in use, teams usually get a fresh review for the super over, separate from any they used in the match. Check the tournament’s playing conditions, as the exact allowance can vary.
Who can bat and bowl
Any player who was in the playing XI can be picked, regardless of what they did in the match. A bowler who has already bowled their full quota of four overs in a T20 can still bowl the super over. An opener who made a duck can still bat.
Teams usually pick their biggest hitters and their best death bowler. For the batting side, three batters isn’t really a limit, because two wickets end the innings anyway. For the bowling side, it’s the one over that can decide everything.
What happens if the super over is tied?
This is the question everyone asked after Lord’s in 2019, and the answer has changed since then.
Before October 2019: boundary count
Until 2019, if the super over was tied, the winner was the team that had hit more boundaries (fours and sixes) across the whole match plus the super over. It was a tiebreaker most fans didn’t even know existed until the biggest game in the sport needed it.
After October 2019: keep playing
After the World Cup final, the ICC scrapped boundary count. The first version of the new rule, announced in October 2019, said super overs would be repeated until there was a winner in the semi-finals and finals of ICC events, while a tied super over in a group match would leave the game as a tie.
Current ICC playing conditions go further. Super overs are now repeated until a result is reached, and that includes group matches at world events. South Africa and Afghanistan needed two super overs in a group game at the 2026 T20 World Cup before South Africa won. Tournament conditions still allow for time and weather, so a match can end as a tie if further super overs can’t be completed.
The rules for a second (or third) super over
When super overs are repeated, two eligibility rules kick in:
- A batter dismissed in any previous super over can’t bat in the next one. Batters who weren’t out can bat again.
- A bowler who bowled the previous super over can’t bowl the next one. They become eligible again for the one after.
That second rule decided things in the 2026 South Africa against Afghanistan game. Lungi Ngidi bowled the first super over, but under the rules he couldn’t bowl the second, so South Africa had to turn to someone else. Tristan Stubbs, meanwhile, batted in both, because he hadn’t been dismissed.
Each repeat super over also flips the batting order. The team that batted second in the previous super over bats first in the next.
Super over rules at a glance
| Rule | What it says |
|---|---|
| When it’s used | Tied T20 or ODI matches where a result is needed |
| Balls per side | One over (six legal deliveries) |
| Batters | Three nominated; two wickets end the innings |
| Bowlers | One per side per super over |
| Who bats first | The team that batted second in the match |
| Bowling end | Chosen by the fielding captain |
| If tied | Another super over (boundary count abolished in 2019) |
| Repeat super over eligibility | Dismissed batters and the previous super over’s bowler are ineligible |
| Statistics | Not counted in players’ career records |
The 2019 World Cup final: the super over that changed everything
No match explains super over rules better than England against New Zealand at Lord’s on 14 July 2019. New Zealand made 241 for 8. England, led by Ben Stokes’ unbeaten 84, finished on 241 all out off the last ball. It was the first tied World Cup final.
The match had its own controversy before the super over. In the final over, Martin Guptill’s throw deflected off Stokes’ bat as he dived and ran away to the boundary. England were awarded six runs, two runs plus four overthrows. Former umpire Simon Taufel later said it should have been five, because the batters hadn’t crossed for the second run when the throw was released.
In the super over, Stokes and Jos Buttler made 15 off Trent Boult. Jofra Archer, playing his first season of international cricket, bowled for England. Jimmy Neesham hit a six and New Zealand needed two off the last ball. Guptill hit it to deep midwicket, set off for the second, and was run out by Buttler from Jason Roy’s throw. Scores were tied at 15.
England won because they had hit more boundaries in the match, 26 to New Zealand’s 17. Many people, including plenty of England fans, felt it was a cruel way to decide a World Cup. Kane Williamson, New Zealand’s captain, was widely praised for his grace afterwards. Within three months the ICC had changed the rule. Relive it on our England vs New Zealand 2019 super over highlights page.
Other famous super overs
IPL 2020: three super overs in one day
On 18 October 2020, the IPL produced a remarkable double-header. Kolkata Knight Riders beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in a super over in the afternoon. That evening, Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) tied the match and then tied the first super over too. Punjab won the second super over, the first time an IPL match had needed two.
India v Afghanistan, Bengaluru, January 2024
The third T20I between India and Afghanistan in January 2024 went to two super overs, a first in men’s T20 internationals. It also produced a rules puzzle. In the first super over, Rohit Sharma retired from the crease before the final ball so that a quicker runner could come in. The umpires allowed him to bat again in the second super over, which caused plenty of debate about whether he should have been treated as retired out. India won when Ravi Bishnoi took two wickets in three balls to defend 11.
Netherlands v Nepal, Glasgow, June 2025
The Netherlands and Nepal went one better in a tri-series match in Scotland in June 2025, needing three super overs to separate them. The Netherlands eventually won, in what was the first triple super over in men’s international cricket.
What happened before super overs?
It helps to know what the super over replaced. In older ODI cricket, tied knockout matches were often decided by records earlier in the tournament. The classic example is the 1999 World Cup semi-final at Edgbaston, when Australia and South Africa tied after Allan Donald was run out with one run needed. There was no super over. Australia went through to the final because they’d finished above South Africa in the Super Six stage.
That match is one of the reasons the game moved towards a tiebreaker played on the field. You can watch it again on our Australia vs South Africa 1999 semi-final page.
Super overs in franchise leagues
Most franchise T20 competitions, including the IPL and the PSL, use super overs with rules very close to the ICC’s, including repeating them until there’s a winner. Leagues set their own small variations and time limits in their playing conditions, so details can differ.
The Big Bash League has experimented more than most. At one point it allowed each side to use its full batting line-up in the super over rather than being limited to two wickets. Rules like that are a reminder to check the playing conditions for the specific competition, especially if you’re following a tight finish.
In the IPL, a super over win counts as a normal win in the table, worth two points. That’s the case in most leagues: the super over decides the result, so there’s no separate category for it.
Strategy: how teams approach a super over
Teams now plan for super overs in advance. Captains and coaches will often have the batters and bowler decided before the match is even close to a tie, so there’s no panic in the short break.
For the batting side, the choice is usually two power hitters and a third player who runs well, often with a left and right-hand combination to disrupt the bowler’s line. With only six balls, a single dot ball is expensive, so teams pick players who can hit from the first delivery.
For the bowling side, the usual pick is the best yorker bowler. Variations matter too: a slower ball or a wide yorker that drifts away from the hitting arc can be worth more than raw pace. Some teams have turned to spinners, especially on slow pitches where pace on the ball helps the batter.
The choice of end matters too. Captains often bowl towards the longer boundary, or into the wind, to make sixes harder.
Common mistakes and myths about super overs
“Boundary count still decides tied super overs”
It doesn’t. Boundary count was scrapped in October 2019. Tied super overs are followed by another super over.
“The team that batted first in the match bats first in the super over”
It’s the other way round. The team that batted second in the match bats first in the super over.
“A bowler who’s bowled their four overs can’t bowl the super over”
Wrong. Over limits from the main match don’t apply. Any player in the XI can bowl the super over.
“Super over runs count in a player’s stats”
They don’t. Super over runs, wickets and balls are recorded separately and don’t go into career batting or bowling figures.
“Test matches can have a super over”
No. Tied Tests are extremely rare, but when they happen, they stay as ties. Super overs are only for limited-overs cricket.
Frequently asked questions
How many balls are in a super over?
Six legal deliveries per side. Wides and no-balls must be re-bowled, so a super over can last more than six balls in total.
How many wickets are allowed in a super over?
Two. Each team nominates three batters, and the innings ends as soon as two are out.
What happens if a super over is tied?
Under current ICC playing conditions, another super over is played, and this repeats until there’s a winner, unless time or weather makes that impossible. Boundary count is no longer used.
Can the same bowler bowl two super overs in a row?
No. A bowler who bowled the previous super over is ineligible for the next one, though they can bowl again in the one after that.
Who bats first in a super over?
The team that batted second in the main match. In repeat super overs, the order flips from the previous one.
Why did England win the 2019 World Cup final?
Both the match and the super over were tied, and under the rules at the time, England won because they’d hit more boundaries. That rule has since been scrapped.
Super overs have given cricket some of its most dramatic finishes, and the rules are now much fairer than they were in 2019. For more tight finishes and tournament history, check our Cricket World Cup winners list and the T20 World Cup winners list.
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