A super over is cricket's tie-breaker for a one-day or T20 match that ends with the scores level, where the playing conditions provide for one: each side faces one six-ball over, and the side scoring more runs in it wins. Under the ICC's men's ODI and T20I playing conditions, effective October 2026, a second wicket ends a side's over, and tied super overs repeat until there is a winner (clause 16.3.1.1 and Appendix F).
Super over rules under the ICC playing conditions
| Rule | What happens | Appendix F |
|---|---|---|
| Wickets | A second wicket ends the over, so at most three batters bat | Para 2 |
| Order | The side that batted second in the match bats first | Para 11 |
| Another tie | A new super over: the order flips, batters already out cannot bat, and the last bowler cannot bowl | Paras 19, 22 and 23 |
| Not finished | If the super overs are abandoned, the match is a tie | Para 25 |
The match referee can cap the number of super overs when time is short (para 26), and a chase ending one run short of its DLS target is a tie too.
What a super over means for match bets
The NSW Bookmaker Declared Betting Events Betting Rules, for NSW-authorised bookmakers, settle a tied match bet in one of three ways:
- A one-day match bet follows the super over, since the rules count any contingency needed to decide a winner (clause 5.1.2).
- A Twenty20 bet leaves the super over out unless stated (clause 5.2.2.3(h)), so with no tie price offered a tie pays a dead heat: the face value divided by the two tied sides (clause 5.1.8).
- Where a tie price was offered, the super over is left out and every team bet loses (clause 5.1.7).
Other bookmakers set their own tie rules, so check yours.
Example: $60 on Team B at $2.40 in a T20 international head to head, a face value of $144. The match ends level and the first super over is tied too. Illustrative price, not a real match.
| What happens next | Follows the super over | Left out, no tie price | Tie price offered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team B wins the second super over | $144.00 | $144 / 2 = $72.00 | $0.00 |
| Rain stops the second super over, a tie (para 25) | $72.00, a dead heat | $72.00 | $0.00 |
With a tie price offered, a separate $5 on the tie at $21.00 returns $105 in both rows, because the result is taken before the super over. T20 cricket betting works out what each rule is worth on average.
Ties in markets without a super over
- Player and totals markets. Where a market leaves the super over out, as the NSW rules do in Twenty20, a batter who ends the match on 47 and hits 9 in it has 47 for a 50+ bet.
- Ranking markets. Under the NSW rules, batters level for top batter are a dead heat where no tie price was offered; dead heat rules shows the sum.
- Tests. Under the NSW rules a tied Test pays team bets at half their face value, and draw bets lose (clause 5.2.2.4(f)).
- The BBL. Under Cricket Australia's BBL|14 conditions (2024-25), only finals repeat a tied super over (Appendix G, G.1.13). A home-and-away match stays tied, so even a market following the super over falls back on its tie rule; BBL betting covers the league.
Comparing head to head prices with the same tie rule
Match the tie rule before the price. B337's Terminal sports board lines bookmakers up in columns where it carries a match; a price there can lag, so confirm it in your bookmaker account. A free account opens a limited view of the Terminal with live odds, and cricket betting sets out the other markets.
Risk: Betting involves risk. The tie rule can turn a winning side into a half return or a loss. See responsible gambling for limits and support.