The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has made preparations to reshuffle the dates of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The BCCI is considering holding the IPL from March 10 to May 15 next year to avoid the scorching heat that occurs in May in most parts of the country. Board Secretary Devjit Saikia gave this information to news agency PTI on Thursday (June 18). This year IPL ran from 28 March to 31 May. Saikia also confirmed that the number of matches will remain 74 and will not be increased to 94. He said that starting the IPL early will not only benefit the players but also the spectators.
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Saikia said, ‘This year IPL started on 29 (28) March and continued till 31 May. We are discussing that after May 15, there may be problems due to weather in the last phase of the tournament. Especially in some areas, there is a possibility of rain or pre-monsoon season starting, or on the other hand, there is also heat, which is not very good neither for the players nor for the spectators or fans. So there is a discussion going on in BCCI and our IPLGC whether we can start the tournament a little before the end of March? We will try from next year.
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He further said, ‘I have instructed our General Manager of Games Development to look at such dates by which we can start it by March 10 and finish it by May 15. This is so that the weather does not deteriorate during the playoffs and finals of IPL 2027.
The BCCI secretary said that they have received complaints from players as well as fans regarding the heat in the northern and western parts of India during IPL matches. He said, ‘I am hearing a lot of complaints from fans as well as players, because not all players are used to playing in such hot conditions.’ Saikia said, ‘So we want to end it by May 15. This is our first target now.
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The number of matches will not increase
Saikia said that it is not possible to increase the number of matches. He said, ‘At present this is not possible as we have to consider many other matters related to players coming from different countries. After a lot of difficulties, we have got this two-month window.
He further said, ‘It will be very difficult to extend it beyond two months, because other countries also have to play bilateral matches. Therefore, at present there is no discussion of increasing the number of matches from 74 to 94. I don’t know what the situation will be in the coming years, but at the moment I do not see any possibility of increasing the number of matches from 74 to 94, because for this, the interests of not only India but also the players of ICC members, especially Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa and West Indies, will have to be kept in mind.
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