‘Usually end up going till 11:30 or 11:45’: Aakash Chopra welcomes change in match timings for IPL 2020 | Cricket - Hindustan Times
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‘Usually end up going till 11:30 or 11:45’: Aakash Chopra welcomes change in match timings for IPL 2020

Hindustan Times, Delhi | Byhindustantimes.com
Aug 03, 2020 02:45 PM IST

Another interesting change taking place in this year’s IPL is the evening match timings. The games usually start at 8 pm and go on till midnight which sometimes become an issue. In 2020, the matches will begin at 7:30pm instead of 8.

The 13th season of the Indian Premier League will take place in the United Arab Emirates from September 19 till November 10. After much deliberation, the IPL Governing Council finally decided on the location for the league this year and recently got an approval from the central government to hold the tournament in UAE. Franchises will now look to start their preparation camps for the tournament and will look to create bio-secure bubbles for the players.

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma, second right, and teammates celebrate their win in the VIVO IPL T20 cricket final match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings in Hyderabad.(AP)
Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma, second right, and teammates celebrate their win in the VIVO IPL T20 cricket final match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings in Hyderabad.(AP)

IPL 2020 Full Coverage

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Another interesting change taking place in this year’s IPL is the evening match timings. The games usually start at 8 pm and go on till midnight which sometimes becomes an issue. In 2020, the matches will begin at 7:30 pm instead of 8.

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Former India batsman Aakash Chopra on Monday welcomed the governing council’s decision to start the evening matches half-an-hour earlier than usual.

“The IPL matches starting at 7:30 in the evening is a good move. The matches should not be starting later than 7:30 even in India as well in my opinion, the matches that start at 8 usually end up going till 11:30 or 11:45,” Chopra said in a video posted on his YouTube channel.

The IPL 2020 will run for 53 days, September 19 - November 10, in the UAE subject to clearance from the Government of India (GoI), announced the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday.

“Taking note of the prevailing COVID-19 situation in India, the IPL GC decided to stage the tournament in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the matches will be played in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi subject to necessary clearances from the Government of India,” read a BCCI release.

The final of the tournament will be played on November 10 while both the afternoon and evening matches will be played half-an-hour earlier than usual.

“IPL 2020 will be played from September 19 and the final will be played on November 10, 2020. The 53-day tournament will witness 10-afternoon matches starting at 15:30 IST while the evening matches will start at 19:30 IST,” the BCCI release added.

IPL 2020 Full Coverage

The BCCI also confirmed that “Women’s T20 Challenge will also take place in the UAE and will comprise three teams with four matches to be played during the IPL Playoff week.

“IPL’s GC also discussed the comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), which will be finalised and published in due course, including the agencies to execute and deliver a bio-secure environment for the safe and successful conduct of IPL 2020 Season.”

The Governing Council also reviewed the player regulations for a replacement player for the 2020 season. A meeting with the franchises will be called shortly, BCCI said. The IPL was originally slated to be played from March 29 this year, but it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

(with ANI inputs)

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