IPL 2018 Playoff Matches and final will be played at 8 PM IST. (IPL Photo)
IPL 2018 Playoff games and the final of the tournament have been scheduled for an early start. This has come into effect after a number of matches this IPL season having extended beyond the midnight hour. The BCCI has confirmed in a media release that the playoff games and final will begin at 7 pm IST and not the original 8 pm IST.
The Indian Express had earlier reported on Thursday that “IPL Governing Council is keen to get the matches to start an hour earlier than 8 pm, which has been the traditional opening time in the IPL since its inception.”
The Qualifier 1 of IPL 2018 will be played on May 22 in Mumbai and Kolkata will host the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 on May 23 and 25 respectively. The IPL final will be played on May 27 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
“What happens is that the night games get over by midnight. We wanted to start the games early from the beginning, but some of the franchises didn’t agree to it. They especially had a problem with them on weekends which generally have a double-header scheduled. The playoff stage has a single game on the day and we can start by 7pm so that the people who come to the ground can enjoy the match and also reach home on time,” Shukla had told The Indian Express.