New Delhi: A big announcement has been made by BCCI regarding IPL 2027. The board is considering holding the league from March 10 to May 15 next year to avoid the scorching heat in May in most parts of the country. Board Secretary Devjit Saikia has given this information. However, he clarified that considering the busy schedule at the international level, the number of matches will remain 74 and it will not be increased to 94.
IPL usually starts in the last week of March and runs till the end of May. Saikia said that starting the IPL early will not only benefit the players but also the spectators. He said, “This year IPL started on 29 (28) March and continued till 31 May. We are discussing that after May 15, there is a possibility of disruption in the final phase of the tournament due to rain or pre-monsoon weather.
The decision is being taken keeping the heat in mind – Saikia
Saikia said, “Besides, the weather becomes very hot by then, which is not very favorable for either the players or the spectators.” The Board Secretary said that to deal with the rising temperatures in the last fortnight of May, the tournament is being considered to start two weeks earlier. He said, “There is a discussion going on in the BCCI as well as in our IPL Governing Council whether we can start the tournament a little earlier instead of the end of March.”
Saikia said, “We will try to start it soon from next year. I have instructed my General Manager (Sports Development) (former fast bowler AB Kuruvilla) to prepare a schedule so that we can start the tournament by March 10 and end it by May 15. Saikia said that he has received complaints from players as well as fans regarding the heat in the northern and western parts of India during the IPL matches.
Fans and players have complained about the heat – Saikia
He said, “I am hearing a lot of complaints from fans as well as players because all the players are not used to playing in such hot conditions.” Saikia said, “So we want to end it by May 15. This is our first goal now.” Saikia also said that it is not possible to increase the number of matches.
He said, “This is not possible at the moment because we have to consider many other matters related to players coming from different countries. After a lot of difficulties, we have got this period of two months.” Saikia 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.
Number of IPL matches will not increase at present – Saikia
He said, “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 the players of not only India but also other ICC cricket playing countries, especially Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa and West Indies, will have to be kept in mind. “
