IPL 2019: Timings Changed For IPL 2019 Playoffs
Updated - 03 Oct 2019, 06:51 PM
In a big decision taken by the Committee of Administrators, the playoffs of the ongoing Indian Indian Premier League (IPL) will start from 7:30 pm instead of the scheduled 8 p.m. start. Last year, the playoff games had started at 7 p.m. The change in timing will be a welcome news for the fans as the slow over-rates this year have made it tough for them. Most of the teams have failed to finish their quota of overs in time this season.
In fact, three captain – Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin – have already been fined Rs 12 Lakh each after their teams were found guilty of slow over-rates. However, it has not made much of a difference as the teams have barely made any efforts to ensure that the games finish on time. The games are finishing so late that even the likes of Tom Moody and AB de Villiers openly said that there should be new rules to make sure the over-rate offence gets minimised.
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Well, the fans will be hoping that the early start to the games will bring some relief to them.
According to media reports, official broadcasters Star Sports had already requested for an early start as the playoffs will be followed by an elaborate presentation ceremony.
“We have the playoffs in the south where dew is a huge factor. Also, Star had written to us to prepone the timings. If you realise, there is the case of an extended presentation ceremony after the playoffs. Keeping all this in mind, it was felt that we should bring it forward,” a BCCI official was quoted as saying by Sportzwiki.
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In another big decision taken during the meeting in Delhi, India ‘A’ and U-19 coach Rahul Dravid is also being considered for the head coach’s role at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
“We are looking at Dravid for the role of head coach at the NCA. Due process will be followed in the appointment,” CoA chief Vinod Rai told reporters.
