Super Over Rules Explained in Cricket: Complete ICC Guide (2026)

The Super Over is a tie-breaking method used in limited-overs cricket. Serving as the final tie-breaker in limited-overs cricket, the Super Over requires both teams to play a single-over mini-match to determine the winner.

When a match ends in a tie, it goes to the Super Over, where both teams get an additional six-ball over to determine the winner. The team that scores more runs in that over wins the match.

Following a rule change for knockout games and bilateral series in October 2019, if the Super Over also ends in a tie, a second Super Over is played. This continues until a winner is determined.

How Earlier Tie-Break Rules Worked?

Previously, if the Super Over also ended in a tie, the winner was decided using one of the following methods:

The total number of boundaries hit during the match and the Super Over.
The total number of boundaries hit in the main match only, excluding the Super Over.
A boundary count-back starting from the last ball of the Super Over.

Under the boundary count-back method, if both teams had hit an equal number of boundaries, the last ball of the Super Over was ignored and the count was re-checked. If the score was still equal, the second last ball was removed, and the same process continued until one team was ahead.

If the Duckworth – Lewis method was applied during the match, the result of the Super Over was decided immediately using the count-back rule.

Previously, if the Super Over ended in a tie, the winner was decided by the number of sixes hit by each team in both innings. If there was still no winner, the number of sixes hit in the main match became the deciding factor.

ICC Rule Changes After the 2019 World Cup

England’s victory in the 2019 Cricket World Cup final against New Zealand in a tied Super Over, which was decided by boundary count, was criticised by many former cricketers and many fans for the tie-breaking rule.

In October 2019, the ICC changed the rule:

If a Super Over ends in a tie during the group stage of the tournament, the match remains a tie.
In knockout matches, a second Super Over is played until a winner is determined.
In bilateral series matches, an additional Super Over is also played until one team wins.

Each new Super Over must start within five minutes of the previous match. The team batting second in the first Super Over will bat first in the next Super Over. Any batsman dismissed in the first Super Over may not bat again.

Also Read: Most Runs Conceded in Super Overs in Cricket History

Official ICC Super Over Rules

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has set official rules for the Super Over in standard Twenty20 International match playing conditions, effective from 1 October 2012.

Each team names three batsmen.
A team’s Super Over ends when two batsmen are out.
The team batting second in the main match bats first in the Super Over.
The bowling team chooses the end from which it will bowl.
If a Super Over ends in a tie, another one is played until a winner is determined, although some tournaments may still declare the match a tie.
Each additional Super Over must start within five minutes of the previous one.
The team batting second in the previous Super Over bats first in the next one.
A batsman who is out in the previous Super Over cannot bat again.

History of the Super Over

The Super Over was first introduced in Twenty20 cricket in 2008, replacing the ball-out method previously used to settle tied matches. It was later used in One Day International (ODI) cricket for the 2011 Cricket World Cup, although it was not required during the tournament.

For the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, the Super Over was reserved for the final only if it ended in a tie. In all other knockout matches, the previous rule reverted, where the team with the better group-stage record advanced.

In 2017, the ICC introduced the Super Over in the knockout stages of that year’s Women’s Cricket World Cup and Champions Trophy.

First Super Over in Cricket History

The first Super Over in cricket was played on 26 December 2008 after a tied Twenty20 match between West Indies and New Zealand.

West Indies scored 25/1 in their Super Over, while New Zealand scored 15/2. West Indies won the Super Over.

Famous Super Over Milestones

The 2019 Cricket World Cup final became the first ODI match to be decided by a Super Over. After both teams were level in the Super Over, England were declared the winners against New Zealand using the controversial boundary count-back rule. That rule has since been changed.

The first “double” Super Over was played in a match between Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings during the 2020 Indian Premier League. A “double” Super Over was played between Afghanistan and India in 2024.

The first “triple” Super Over was played during the 2025 Scotland T20I Tri-Nation Series in a match between Nepal and the Netherlands on 16 June 2025.

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