The IPL Governing Council(GC) has decided to change the timings of IPL 2018 play-offs and final match. The news was confirmed by IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla, he said that the playoffs and title showdown will now begin at 7 pm instead of the usual time of 8 pm.
“The IPL is what it is because of its fans and the tournament has over the years been followed avidly both on the ground and on television at homes. So, keeping the interest of the fans in mind, it was decided that the play-off games and the final will start an hour earlier. So, instead of the 8pm start, the games will start at 7pm,” Shukla was quoted as saying by News18.
“It gets difficult not only for those at the stadium, but also for those watching on television as students and office-goers also need to get back to their respective stuff next morning and it helps if the game starts an hour earlier,” he added.
Not to forget, all the matches have been starting at 8 pm since the beginning of the tournament.
With the new set of timings, the matches would now conclude at around 10:30 pm instead of 11:30 pm.
Earlier, MCA stadium in Pune was the venue for two of the playoff matches, however, it was later shifted to Kolkata, after CSK adopted Pune as their home ground following security reasons in Chennai due to Cauvery water protest.
The first playoff- Qualifier 1 – will be played on May 22 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and then the action shifts to the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata for Eliminator on May 23, followed by Qualifier 2 on May 25. The final will be hosted in Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on May 27.
Timings of IPL 2018 play-offs and final match
7 PM (Indian Standard Time)
