IPL games which begin at 4pm are always a real challenge for players, umpires and even the crowds, considering the searing summer heat in which they are played in, especially the first innings. The TV ratings and crowd attendance of these matches are also not the same as those of the 8 PM matches. However, BCCI is forced to schedule these 'double headers', since it has to 'fit in' 60 matches in the one-and-half month period during which the IPL is played.
There could be a change in the offing here, despite the risk of the tournament running for an extra week. At a meeting in the city between IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur and franchise officials at a five-star hotel on Tuesday, the possibility of scrapping the 4pm games was discussed.
"The meeting was held since the BCCI wanted our feedback about this IPL. We expressed happiness at the way the tournament was run. There were a few things which were discussed. One of the things we pondered about was doing away with 4 pm games, and stretching the IPL by a week or so to complete the tournament," said a franchise official after the meeting.
If the tournament is indeed stretched, the IPL's biggest challenge will be to ensure availability of top players for the latter half. The English cricket season is on in full swing in June, with at least a couple of teams touring England around that time.
There has also been plenty of speculation about the CLT20 tournament being replaced by an abridged version of the IPL, where the eight IPL teams would be split up in two groups and made to play against each other in the UAE in September, but the official said that "there was no discussion on this issue at all."
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