IPL 2019: No change in second match timings, confirms CoA chief Vinod Rai

It’s almost time for yet another edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the excitement is already building up. This IPL will be special for eyes will be on those names who are expected to deliver in the ICC World Cup that follows the T20 tournament. The first match of IPL 2019 will see defending champions Chennai Super Kings taking on three-time finalists Royal Challengers Bangalore in a home game on March 23.

On Thursday, the Committee of Administrators (CoA) that runs the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said the evening matches of the tournament will kick off at the usual time of 8 pm. Speculation was on that the board might change the timings of the later games owing to clashes with the upcoming general elections.

BCCI has unveiled fixture for two weeks of IPL so far

The BCCI has so far announced the fixture for first two weeks of the tournament (March 23 to April 5) and is waiting for the Election Commission of India to reveal the schedule of the Lok Sabha election before deciding on the remaining tournament. This is the third time since its inception that the IPL has clashed with the general polls. While the entire tournament was shifted to South Africa in 2009, it was partially staged in the UAE in 2014.

The timing issue came up for discussion at the CoA meeting and its chief Vinod Rai confirmed about it. The first game is usually held at 4 pm. The inaugural game between the Kings and Challengers is scheduled at 8 pm. “Matches will begin at 8 pm,” Rai told reports after the CoA meeting. The knock-out games are expected to kick off at 7 pm.

“We welcome BCCI’s decision to retain the match timings. Like last year, we wanted the games to have an 8 pm start. This time, we were not yet approached by the BCCI regarding match timings but we were eagerly awaiting its decision,” Hindustan Times cited reports as quoting an official.

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