The final tally of the IPL is quite high. The fate of 8 teams has already been decided. The fate of Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians hangs in the balance. After that, of course, there are the play-offs. And as the tournament draws to a close, rain is causing a stir in the IPL.
Several matches of this year’s IPL have already been washed away by rain. Several upcoming matches are also in doubt. In such a situation, the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) has increased the length of the IPL matches by 2 hours keeping in mind the rain. This rule was implemented from Tuesday.
And that has angered the big team of the season, Kolkata Knight Riders. They claim that if this rule was introduced at the right time, they could still be in the race for the playoffs.
The Indian board announced on Tuesday that the 20-over match will be completed in 120 minutes instead of 60 minutes. The latest time for starting a match of at least five overs has also been extended by an hour. IPL chief Hemang Amin has informed all teams about the decision through an e-mail. This decision is mainly due to the monsoon season.
And KKA, which has been knocked out of the IPL race, cannot accept that. This time, two of their matches have been canceled due to rain. The matches against Punjab Kings and Bangalore were washed out due to rain. If Kolkata had won these two matches, Kolkata would have also remained in the play-off race. Kolkata franchise CEO Venky Mysore has expressed his anger in a letter to the BCCI.
Mysore wrote in an email sent on behalf of Kolkata, “We know that changing the rules in the middle of the season is necessary in some cases. However, we feel that there should be a consistency in the implementation of the rules.”
He also wrote, “When the IPL resumed on May 17, it was clear that the first match of the day, i.e. the Kolkata vs Bangalore match, was at high risk of being disrupted due to rain. The weather forecast was with everyone. If the extra 120 minutes that have now been applied had been there, at least one five-over match would have been held that day.”
Finally, he wrote, “KKR’s playoff hopes ended after that match. So, hasty decisions and lack of consistency are not desirable in such a competition. I hope you understand why we are so angry.”
