The upcoming season of the Caribbean Premier League will launch with a new T10 tournament named The 6ixty.
The inaugural season will take place from August 24 to 28 in St Kitts and will see matches between all six men's teams and the three women's side.
The 6IXTY was unveiled in a video message by West Indies opener Chris Gayle on Wednesday, June 22.
"BRING IT ON! The 6IXTY—a brand new format that brings cricket fans even closer to the action," an excited Gayle said in a promotional video. "It's powerful, it’s fast, it's my type of cricket."
"This revolutionary format will see brand new innovations that will change T10 cricket and make the game even faster-paced and action-packed," the Caribbean Premier League said in a release.
Here are some of the rules of the new format according to reports
1) Every batting team has six wickets in place ten in the other formats.
2) Batting teams can unlock a floating third powerplay over by hitting two sixes in the initial two-over powerplay.
3) Teams will bowl five consecutive overs without changing ends. There will be no switching of ends after each over.
4) If teams fail to bowl their 10 overs within 45 minutes, a fielder will be removed for the final six balls.
5) Fans will be able to vote for a mystery-free hit where fans can vote for a particular ball to be deemed a no-risk, dismissal-free delivery.
"It's just about trying to generate excitement and interest. It's like what's going on with golf right now—you have to look at things through a different lens sometimes. This is about a totally new audience. We're very much going after the younger generation," CPL CEO Pete Russell told ESPNcricinfo.
