T10 cricket is the shortest form of the game. Each side bats for a maximum of 10 overs, or 60 legal balls, and a full match usually lasts about 90 minutes. It is a franchise and tournament format built for speed: every ball matters, because one expensive over eats up a tenth of an innings.

The format grew out of the Abu Dhabi T10 League, which began in 2017 and was approved by the International Cricket Council. It is now played in leagues around the world, and the Abu Dhabi T10 is being played again this week. This guide explains how T10 works, how it differs from T20 cricket, and what happens when the scores finish level.

How many overs are in a T10 match?

Each team plays one innings of up to 10 overs, so a complete match has a maximum of 20 overs. A side can be bowled out before its 10 overs are used up, and the team batting second wins as soon as it passes the first innings total. For a match to count as a result, both sides normally need to have had the chance to bat for at least five overs, unless the target has already been reached or another playing condition applies.

Eleven players take the field for each side, exactly as in other forms of cricket. The shorter innings does not mean fewer players: it means every batter has less time to settle in, and every bowler has less room for a bad over. In T20 cricket, one expensive over costs a side five per cent of its innings; in T10, the same over costs ten per cent.

What are the bowling and powerplay rules?

No bowler may bowl more than two overs in an innings, so a captain needs at least five bowlers to get through 10 overs. That rule spreads the bowling around and stops one fast bowler from dominating a short game.

Each innings has a three-over powerplay, during which only two fielders are allowed outside the 30-yard circle. In the Abu Dhabi T10, the first two overs are a mandatory powerplay and the batting side chooses one extra floating powerplay over later in the innings. Once the powerplay ends, up to five fielders may stand outside the circle. The fielding restrictions are designed to encourage aggressive batting from the first ball.

How long does a T10 match last?

A match is expected to take around 90 minutes. The two innings run for about 80 minutes, with a 10-minute break between them, and each innings is expected to be completed within about 40 minutes. That makes T10 shorter than a T20 match, which lasts about three hours, and far shorter than a 50-over game.

What happens if a T10 match is tied?

A tie is settled by a Super Over. Each side faces six legal balls, and the team that scores more runs in its Super Over wins. If the Super Over is also tied, further Super Overs can be played until one side wins. Some tournaments use a Golden Ball as a final tie-breaker, in which the next legal ball decides the match.

T10 is not a replacement for Test cricket or the longer limited-overs formats. It is a separate, faster product: ten overs a side, two overs per bowler, a three-over powerplay, and a result in about an hour and a half.

Sources: Durham Cricket and Wikipedia on T10 cricket.