Super Over in Cricket — Rules, Tiebreaker & 2019 WC Final

A super over is a one-over eliminator used to decide the winner of a T20 or ODI match that finishes tied. Each team faces one over (6 legal deliveries) with a maximum of two wickets in hand. The team that scores more runs in their super over wins. If the super over is also tied, the rules vary by tournament — and the 2019 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Final illustrated exactly how controversial those rules can be.

How a super over works

1. The team batting second in the main match bats first in the super over.
2. Each team selects any two batsmen and one bowler (who has not finished their quota). The same player can bat and bowl.
3. Two wickets end the batting team's super over — even if there are balls remaining.
4. After both teams have batted, the team with more runs wins. Any extras (wides, no-balls) count.
5. If the super over is also tied, some tournaments have further super overs; others use the boundary countback rule.

2019 ICC World Cup Final — the most controversial super over ever

The 2019 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Final between England and New Zealand at Lord's is the most famous super over in cricket history. Both teams finished the 50-over match on 241 runs. In the super over, both teams scored 15 runs — the first time a World Cup Final super over was itself tied. ICC rules at the time used 'boundary countback' to determine the winner: England had hit 26 boundaries in the match vs New Zealand's 17, so England were declared World Champions.

Super over in T20s

Super overs are most common in T20 cricket, where matches regularly produce close finishes. In the IPL, a tied match goes directly to a super over. In T20 World Cups, the super over is the standard tiebreaker. Franchise T20 leagues (BBL, PSL, CPL) each have their own super over rules — most now follow the ICC model of successive super overs until a winner.

Choosing the super over players

Teams choose their two batsmen and bowler strategically. Typically, teams pick their best T20 batters (often their opening pair) and their most consistent death bowler. A player who was already dismissed in the main match can bat in the super over. A bowler who has completed their full quota in the main match CANNOT bowl in the super over.

In a T20 super over, a captain picks Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as batsmen (both got out cheaply in the main innings) and Jasprit Bumrah as bowler (he still has one over of his quota remaining). This is optimal: best batsmen + most economical bowler with available overs.

Super over in ODIs

Super overs exist in ODIs but are far rarer because 50-over matches tied on runs are extremely uncommon. The 2019 World Cup Final is the highest-profile ODI super over. In regular bilateral ODIs, tournament rules vary on whether a super over is used for a tied result or whether the match is simply declared a tie.