Come August, cricket will have another format. Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) on Wednesday (June 22) unveiled a new 60-ball tournament. And it's called THE 6IXTY. (More Cricket News)
According to initial information, the inaugural edition of THE 6IXTY will feature all six CPL (men) franchises and the three women's (WCPL) teams. It will be played between August 24 and 28 at Warner Park in St Kitts & Nevis, before the CPL 2022 season.
THE 6IXTY can be termed another variant of T10 cricket but with notable differences. Here are some of the features:
- Each batting team has six wickets, rather than ten. Meaning, batting team will be considered all-out at the fall of the sixth wicket;
- There will be a floating powerplay over, which the batting team can 'unlock' after hitting two sixes in the initial two-over powerplay;
- As the name suggests, there will be 60 legal deliveries/10 overs per innings;
- Bowling teams will deliver 30 balls/five consecutive overs from each end. And the innings should be completed within 45 minutes;
- If teams fail to bowl their 10 overs within the stipulated time, a fielder will be removed for the final six balls;
- And fans will decide when the 'mystery free hit' can be taken, via an app or website.
"THE 6IXTY has come about because of a close collaboration between CPL and CWI which is the way forward. I am really excited about the innovation, excitement and entertainment that it is going to bring to the fans," Ricky Skerritt, President of Cricket West Indies, said.
As of now, three formats are played under the rules and regulations approved by the International Cricket Council -- Test matches, over five days with 90 overs every day; One-Day Internationals, 50 overs per side; and Twenty20 Internationals, 20 overs per side.
The tenth edition of CPL is scheduled to run from August 30 to September 30. Six competing teams are - Barbados Royals, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs, St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, Saint Lucia Kings and Trinbago Knight Riders.
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots are the defending champions.
The WCPL will have it's first edition with Barbados Royals, Guyana Amazon Warriors and Trinbago Knight Riders competing in the women's tournament.
