IPL 2018 games set for earlier start

What's the story?

Conditional upon the approval from the broadcaster Star India, IPL games in the 2018 season could begin an hour early. Instead of the usual start times of 4 pm and 8 pm, the games will begin at 3 pm and 7 pm in a bid to ensure that games don't go beyond midnight, as was the case in a few games.

Speaking to The Indian Express, IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla said: “It was just a thought (starting game at 7pm) and everyone welcomed it but first we need to speak to broadcaster and take their nod. We will work on modalities then. There have been many centers where traveling is major concern. All the issues were discussed and we all thought to start the game but early”.

In case you didn't know...

Since the inception of the IPL, the games have been played at 8 pm while the early games have started at 4 pm. As a result, several games have gone beyond midnight causing an issue for those attending the games and also for kids who are home, watching the game on a school night.

The heart of the matter

Another idea that all franchises seem to be keen on is having a mid-season transfer window to ensure that a player who hasn't played will have the opportunity to play for another team during the course of the tournament. That is if he has played two or less of the first seven games of the tournament and Shukla added that will also be on the agenda during the IPL governing council meeting..

“Every IPL owner agreed to have this in forthcoming season. It will give chance to those players who are good but are not getting opportunities to be part of playing XI of any IPL side” Shukla added.

What's next?

The IPL governing council will meet on December 5 to discuss several pressing issues ahead of the 11th edition of the tournament like player retention, start times and the possibility of mid-season transfers.

Author's take

The decision to start the games an hour earlier certainly makes a lot of sense, especially considering the fact that a few games used to go past midnight causing an issue for fans at the stadium and kids watching at home. While the decision to move the games an hour earlier sounds like a good move, the fact that the early games will begin at 3 pm will make it harder on players, especially consider that the matches will be played in peak summer in places like Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi.