IPL 2018: Franchises oppose proposal to change match timings of the 11th edition
According to the proposed changes, the 8 pm games were to start at 7 pm and the 4 pm matches were postponed by 90 minutes to 5:30 pm.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council's move to change the match timings of the 11th edition of the cash-rich league has led to dissent with franchises expressing their objection to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), according to a report in The Indian Express.
The original timing of the matches were altered after official IPL broadcaster, Star India, had requested for a change, which the IPL governing council had accepted.
Ever since its inception back in 2008, the tournament, barring the second season hosted in South Africa in 2009, has seen 8 pm starts when only a single match has been scheduled for the day. On the days of double-headers the first fixture starts at 4 pm followed by 8 pm match.
According to the proposed changes, the 8 pm games were to start at 7 pm and the 4 pm matches were postponed by 90 minutes to 5:30 pm.
With the time space between two games narrowed and an issue of overlapping arising, the IPL governing council suggested the broadcasters had enough channels to show the matches simultaneously.
?There will be no problem on days with just a single match but there will be a big one when there are double-headers. They won?t get the complete three-hour quota and instead will have to share it with two matches. The overlap will result in one-and-a-half hours of each IPL match losing out on viewers,? a franchise official was quoted as saying by The Express.
Earlier, defending champions Mumbai Indians owner, Akash Ambani too voiced his opinion against the timing change. "We have objected to (the move). The people of Mumbai work till 6.30 pm-7 pm, it's going to be impossible to make it to the game at 7 pm. You're impacting a lot of things. We're not for it," he told Times of India,
The final decision on the matter is yet to be decided but is expected to be out soon.