KSCA to trial over-limit innings and over-rate penalties in Thimmappaiah Memorial tournament

The KSCA will trial a set of rule changes in the KSCA-Dr. (Capt.) K. Thimmappaiah Memorial Tournament, which begins in Bengaluru and Mysuru on Tuesday, organisers said on Monday. The measures, announced at a press conference, are intended to make the all-India four-day red-ball competition more result-oriented.

KSCA Hon. Secretary Santosh Menon spoke at the Monday press conference about the structure of the experiment and its objectives. He described the most significant modification as fixed over limits for each innings and outlined how the changes would alter the conditions for producing a result. The association framed the measures as tests to be applied during the upcoming tournament.

Under the new playing conditions, teams will have 120 overs for the first innings and 60 overs for the second. Menon said that if the team batting fourth fails to reach the target within its allotted 60 overs, it will be deemed to have lost rather than the match being declared a draw; a draw will be recorded only if rain interruptions prevent the team batting fourth from getting the full quota of 60 overs.

The first-innings limit carries a specific provision: if a team is bowled out before completing its quota of 120 overs, 50 per cent of the unused overs will be carried forward to its second innings. Menon set out that carryover mechanism as part of the effort to balance the innings-limits with the realities of dismissals.

Organisers will also impose a penalty for a slow over-rate, introduced to discourage deliberate time-wasting by the team bowling last when it is in a position to avoid defeat. The announcement described the slow over-rate sanction as an additional measure to ensure the match progresses toward a result under the new overs framework.

KSCA President Venkatesh Prasad said the tournament had attracted considerable interest from State associations but that the field had been restricted to 16 teams, including four from Karnataka. Prasad confirmed the participant limit while addressing the media at the same event.

Prasad added that the KSCA plans to introduce a women’s one-day tournament next year, signaling a confirmed addition to the association’s competition calendar.