The 4X Format
One Format. Four Innings. Built for Drama.
Four innings. Ten overs each. Twenty overs per side. Forty in the match.
Why 4X
Everyone Bats Twice. Nobody’s Ever Out of It.
In most short formats, one bad batting innings ends your afternoon. 4X splits each side’s twenty overs into two separate innings, so a slow start doesn’t decide the match — a big third innings can flip the whole thing. Every rule exists to keep the result unpredictable until the last over, and the whole match fits a single session: at the festival, two are played in one day.
If You Know T20
Same Twenty Overs. Split in Two.
| T20 | 4X | |
|---|---|---|
| Overs per side | 20 | 20 |
| Innings per side | 1 | 2 × 10 overs |
| Winner decided by | Single-innings score | Combined score across both innings |
| Comeback after a bad start | Rarely | Built in — your second innings is still to come |
| The toss | Coin flip | Bowl-Out at the stumps |
How a Match Works
Four Blocks of Ten.
The sides alternate: A bats, B bats, A bats again, B closes. Watch the combined totals — that’s the scoreboard that matters.
- 011st InningsTeam A bats · 10 overs2026 final: AWS World 85/8
- 022nd InningsTeam B bats · 10 overs2026 final: VTEX India 105/3 — ahead by 20 at halfway
- 033rd InningsTeam A bats again · 10 overs2026 final: AWS World 144/3 — combined 229
- 044th InningsTeam B closes it out · 10 overs2026 final: VTEX India 74/7 — combined 179
The Real Thing · March 13–14, 2026
How the First Final Was Won.
AWS World scored 85/8 in the match’s first innings; VTEX India answered with 105/3 in the second — their first time batting — and led by 20 at halfway. Then the third innings flipped it: AWS World’s second bat brought 144/3, and VTEX India’s 74/7 in the fourth couldn’t close the gap.
| Innings | Batting | Score | Running combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | AWS World — first bat | 85/8 | AWS World 85 |
| 2nd | VTEX India — first bat | 105/3 | VTEX India 105 · leads by 20 |
| 3rd | AWS World — second bat | 144/3 | AWS World 229 · leads by 124 |
| 4th | VTEX India — second bat | 74/7 | VTEX India 179 |
| Result | AWS World won by 50 runs · MVP Andries Gous | ||
How the Teams Are Built
Professionals and Challengers, Same Team Sheet.
Every 2027 team carries both kinds of player. Full squads are published as the roster is announced.
Challenger spots per team
Earned through the global Challenger selection — open to players 18+.
This is the door: 5 places on every team go to players who earn them — applications open September 2026, selection runs in phases, and selected Challengers bowl real overs in real matches (the rules guarantee it).
The Teams
Three Teams. One Trophy.
India. Pakistan. Universe.
Three squads, three identities, one format built to make every match close.
India
Pakistan
Universe
How You Win
Combined Score. Highest Total. Done.
Add each team’s two innings together — the higher combined total wins. Two exceptions keep it sharp: if the chasing team’s first innings alone beats the rival’s combined total, the match ends after three innings; and if the combined totals finish level after four, it goes to a Bowl-Out shootout — five bowlers a side, two of them Challengers, one ball each.
What to Watch For
The Decisions the Format Forces.
Pacing two innings
Attack the first ten and risk being bowled out — or bank a platform and go hunting in the third innings? The 2026 final turned exactly on that call.
Spending your bowlers
Four overs per bowler across the whole match, at most two an innings — captains have to decide when their best overs get used, and what's left for the close.
The Challenger overs
At least two Challenger overs every innings, by rule. Where a captain hides them — or unleashes them — changes the shape of the innings.
No Coin. No Chance.
The Coin Toss Doesn’t Exist Here.
The match starts with a Bowl-Out.
Challengers open the game by bowling at the stumps, no batter in the way. First team to hit wins the toss. Still tied? The captains settle it with rock-paper-scissors, under the umpire’s watch.
The Rules
Six Mechanics. One Format.
Everything that makes 4X different from a standard match, in full.
- 01
Four innings per match, ten overs each
Every match splits into four blocks of ten overs — twenty overs per side, forty in the match. Nothing longer, nothing shorter.
- 02
Every side bats twice
Team A bats, then Team B, then Team A again, then Team B closes it out. The combined score across both innings wins it.
- 03
Every team mixes professionals and Challengers
Five roster spots for marquee and professional talent, five Challenger spots earned through the global Challenger selection — every team sheet carries both.
- 04
The toss is a Bowl-Out, not a coin flip
Challengers open the game bowling at the stumps, no batter in the way. First team to hit wins the toss. Ties go to rock-paper-scissors between captains, under the umpire's watch.
- 05
Bowlers cap at two overs an innings, four across the match
Every team bowls at least two Challenger overs each innings. No bowler goes past four overs across the whole match.
- 06
A match can end after three innings — or go to a Bowl-Out shootout
If the chasing team's first innings alone beats the rival's combined total, it ends there. Still level after four? Five bowlers a side, two of them Challengers, one ball each.
