What is the Death Over in Cricket?

The “Death Over” in limited-overs cricket refers to the final over of an innings. “Death Overs” refer to the final stages of an innings in the shorter formats of cricket. Limited-overs cricket are matches that can be completed in one day. The longer forms of the game take place over several days, anywhere from two days to five days.

SportsBoom explains how the “Death Overs” work in different forms of limited-overs cricket. We rank the top ten “Death Overs” batsmen and bowlers in Indian Premier League (IPL) history. 

What are the Death Overs in Limited-Overs Cricket?

The “Death Overs” in limited overs cricket are the final few overs in an innings. The “Death Overs” are the last ten overs in One-Day International (ODI) cricket (50 overs) and the final four overs in T20 cricket (20 overs). These last overs are when the batting team accelerates their run rate to set a high target. 

These “Death Overs” occur at the end of the chasing team’s innings as they attempt to reach the target the opposition set. Batsmen increase the tempo and risk of their shots as they look for boundaries (fours and sixes). The “Death Bowlers” will try to restrict the batsmen from scoring quickly by varying their bowling.

Wickets and dot balls are gold in T20 cricket. A bowler’s economy rate is important, but their average is not as important as ODI and Test match cricket. Dwayne Bravo is one of the best and most prolific bowlers ever between 17 and 20 overs in the Indian Premier League. The West Indies bowler is the only player to reach one hundred wickets. Bravo has also bowled the second-most dot balls (345). Bhuvneshwar Kumar has taken the third-most “Death Over” wickets and bowled the most dot balls in IPL history. 

Image Credits: Rashid Khan (X Account)

What is a Death Bowler?

“Death Bowlers” bowl the final few overs of an innings. These bowlers are often the team’s best bowlers, or bowlers best suited to the match situation and conditions. The pressure is always intense at the end of an innings. If the pitch is quick, fast bowlers bowl the “Death Overs”. If the wicket is slow and turning, slow and spin bowlers will bowl at the death. 

It does not matter the type of surface the game is being played on or the situation; “Death bowlers” bowl slower balls, slower-ball bouncers, bouncers, and yorkers. Spin bowlers mix their variations. They bowl googlies, doosras, leg-breaks, off-breaks, top-spinners, and arm balls to make it harder for the batsmen to score freely.