Men's ODI cricket has three powerplay phases in a full 50-over innings. Only two fielders may stand outside the fielding restriction area during overs 1 to 10, four during overs 11 to 40, and five during overs 41 to 50. These are maximum allowances at the instant of delivery, rather than instructions that a captain must place exactly that many fielders on the boundary.
| Phase in a full ODI innings | Overs | Maximum fielders outside |
|---|---|---|
| Powerplay 1 | 1 to 10 | 2 |
| Powerplay 2 | 11 to 40 | 4 |
| Powerplay 3 | 41 to 50 | 5 |
The authority is clause 28.7 of the ICC Men's ODI Playing Conditions effective from October 2026, available through the ICC's official playing conditions directory. This guide covers that men's international format. A competition with its own conditions should be checked separately.
What is the powerplay circle in ODI cricket?
The marked area is more precise than the familiar phrase 30-yard circle suggests. The conditions describe two semicircles, each centred on the middle stump at its end of the pitch, connected by parallel straight lines. Each semicircle has a radius of 30 yards, or 27.43 metres.
That marking is the reference for the outside-fielder count. The boundary rope is a different line. A fielder can be well inside the boundary and still be outside the restriction area. Watching only the players nearest the rope can therefore give a misleading count.
The rule applies at delivery. A captain may keep more fielders close to the bat than the minimum implied by the outside allowance. Choosing only three outside during the second phase does not breach a rule that permits up to four. Choosing five outside during that phase would exceed the ordinary limit.
How do ODI powerplay rules change after rain?
Shortened innings use a table in clause 28.7.2.3. The division depends on the revised innings length, and the same table applies to both the first and second innings. A reduced ODI is not automatically governed by the powerplay rules of a different format just because its innings happens to be shorter.
For a 20-over ODI innings, the table allocates four overs to the first phase, 12 to the middle phase and four to the final phase. The corresponding outside limits remain two, four and five. For 30 overs, the phases are six, 18 and six overs. For 40 overs, they are eight, 24 and eight.
| Revised innings length | First phase | Middle phase | Final phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 overs | 4 overs | 12 overs | 4 overs |
| 30 overs | 6 overs | 18 overs | 6 overs |
| 32 overs | 7 overs | 19 overs | 6 overs |
| 40 overs | 8 overs | 24 overs | 8 overs |
An interruption can change the restriction immediately when play resumes, including in the middle of an over. The ICC gives an example of an innings interrupted after 8.3 overs and reduced from 50 to 32 overs. The revised allocation is seven overs, 19 overs and six overs. The innings has already passed the first phase, so the middle-phase restrictions apply on resumption.
In that example, the final phase begins once 26 overs have been completed, because seven plus 19 equals 26. The notation 8.3 means eight completed overs and three balls. It does not mean 8.3 as a decimal number. That distinction also matters when reading our net run rate calculation guide.
What happens if too many fielders are outside?
Clause 28.7.2.7 instructs the square leg umpire to call and signal no ball for an infringement of these fielding restrictions. A delivery can therefore be a no ball because of field placement, even when the bowler's landing position is not the issue.
The conditions also say the scoreboard should show the current powerplay. At the start of the middle and final phases, the umpire signals the change to the scorers by moving an arm in a large circle. Those signals are especially helpful when rain has changed the innings length and the usual tenth-over or fortieth-over landmarks no longer apply.
Field placement, bowling quotas and review procedures answer different questions. The outside-fielder allowance does not decide how many overs one bowler can deliver, and it does not determine a batter's dismissal. For those adjacent questions, see our guides to DRS limits and Umpire's Call and LBW pitching and impact rules.
