IPL 2020: Aakash Chopra welcomes new start time for evening matches
Former India batsman Aakash Chopra on Monday welcomed the Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council's decision to start the evening matches half-an-hour earlier than usual.
The IPL governing council met on Sunday and decided that the evening matches would start at 7:30 pm instead of 8 pm.
The tournament will be played from September 19 - November 10 in the UAE and it will be held across three venues (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah).
"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.
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.
-ANI
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