Line-up Exchange Rules
Default day for playing: 1st Wednesday after the line-up exchange
Player Availability Requirements
Captains must ensure their players are available on following days before adding them to the line up:
- Wednesday (Default day)
- Tuesday of next week (Default-play-by-day in case of weather delays)
Line-up Modifications
Line up can be tweaked if a certain player runs into availability issues after line up exchange only if:
- Match for the line has not started
- Tweaked line up still abides by SOR rule
- New player being added must be available to play on the default day (Wednesday) and also on "play by day" (Tuesday of next week)
Forfeit Policy
In case, a line is not able to finish their match by Tuesday (after 11 days) for not being able to complete the matches by the play by date, the team with unavailable Player will forfeit. If both teams have availability issues then both will get zero points. The EC decision will be final in this case.
We, in the interest of teams and league, don't want any kind of Forfeits for sure. So Captains needs to take all efforts to make sure, team is aligned and working towards finishing the matches.
General Rules
- 8 Teams with 10 players each including aces (Total players 80). Ace will be associated with a single team, for the entire season.
- 4 Lines each week, Top ranked players available for that week have to play Line 1.
- 5 lines in the playoffs. The team winning 3 out of the 5 lines advances to the next playoff level.
- Ace will be Rank 1 and will always play line 1.
- Break time between sets must not exceed 3 minutes
Ranks & Allowed Lines (League Stage)
| Rank | Allowed Line |
|---|---|
| 1 (Ace) | 1 |
| 2 | 1, 2 |
| 3 | 1, 2, 3 |
| 4 | 1, 2, 3 |
| 5 | 2, 3 |
| 6 | 2, 3, 4 |
| 7 | 3, 4 |
| 8 | 3, 4 |
| 9 | 3, 4 |
| 10 | 3, 4 |
Note: Lowest Rank player for that week to play Line 4.
Line SOR (Sum of Ranks) has to be in ascending order (greater than or equal to) from Line 1 to Line 4. Assume Ace to be value "1" for SOR calculations.
All players are expected to play in good faith. As with any tournament, the SOTA tournament is very competitive, and any dispute is expected to be resolved between the captains. Only issues that cannot be resolved after the best attempt on both sides will need to be escalated to the EC, in which case the decision of the EC will be final.
ECs may provide extension in case of weather delays.
Scoring System
The league matches will be in the round robin format where all teams will play every other team. The scoring will be as follows:
For a match won by a team in 2 sets:
- Winning team gets 14 points
- Losing team gets points equal to the games won (minimum 2 points and maximum 8 points)
For a match won by a team in 3 sets:
- Winning team gets 14 points
- Losing team gets 10 points
Tie-Breaking Rules
In case there is a tie between more than 2 teams in the league, the overall score between teams and the percentage of the games won against the games lost will be used as a distinguishing factor. In case of a tie between 2 teams, the team that won during the league stage will advance.
Injury Rules
In the unfortunate event of a player getting injured during the course of the match, the match will be considered as forfeited by the injured player's team. The injured player's team will only get the points total at the time of injury, and the opposite team will get the full 14 points for the match.
There will be no late pass for any of the matches unless there are exceptional circumstances pre-approved by EC.
Player Replacement Process
In case of injury to any player, the Captain may suggest a suitable alternative for replacement, but the final decision will be made by the EC and will be binding on all concerned. ECs will post the poll in the Captain's whatsapp group and all other captains can vote. (Captain getting the replacement MUST NOT vote)
Replacement Procedure:
- Captains reach out to ECs directly and request a replacement player.
- ECs will work with Captains to come up with a player name, and other 7 captains vote on the replacement player suggested. The majority wins.
- If 4 positive votes are not received from the captains, an alternative replacement will be suggested.
- While considering replacement, the snake position for the pick being replaced, will also factored in.
- At the play off stage for replacements preference will be given to players from the eliminated stage.
Playoff Criteria for Teams
- Team Ranked 1 to 6 will go to playoffs, Rank 7 and 8 will be eliminated.
- Rank 1 and 2 will directly qualify for the semifinals.
- Rank 3 and Rank 6 will play Quarterfinal 1.
- Rank 4 and Rank 5 will play Quarterfinal 2.
Semi-finals:
- Semi-final 1: Rank 1 will play the lowest-ranked team from the Quarterfinals 1 or 2.
- Semi-final 2: Rank 2 will play the highest-ranked team from the Quarterfinals 1 or 2.
Example:
If Team 3 wins QF1 and Team 5 wins QF2:
- Semi 1: Rank 1 vs Rank 5
- Semi 2: Rank 2 vs Rank 3
If Team 6 wins QF1 and Team 4 wins QF2:
- Semi 1: Rank 1 vs Rank 6
- Semi 2: Rank 2 vs Rank 4
Final
The final will be between the winner of Semi-final 1 and Semi-final 2.
Line Formation Rules for Playoffs
Top 2 teams will make it to the semifinals directly; remaining 4 teams will compete in playoffs to qualify for the semifinals.
| Rank | Allowed Line |
|---|---|
| 1 (Ace) | 1 |
| 2 | 1, 2 |
| 3 | 1, 2, 3 |
| 4 | 1, 2, 3 |
| 5 | 2, 3, 4 |
| 6 | 2, 3, 4 |
| 7 | 3, 4, 5 |
| 8 | 3, 4, 5 |
| 9 | 3, 4, 5 |
| 10 | 3, 4, 5 |
Note: Total 5 lines. Lowest Rank player for that week to play Line 5.
The team winning 3 out of the 5 lines advances to the next playoff level.
Rest of the rules (defined for League stage) applies for PlayOffs stage too.