India vs Ireland 2nd T20I in Belfast has been rescheduled an hour early to avoid a clash with India Women vs Australia in a key T20 World Cup match. The game will now start at 6 PM IST, allowing fans to watch both fixtures live on Sunday.
The India-Ireland men’s T20 match has been rescheduled to support our Women in Blue. The second T20I on Sunday will now start an hour early. A spokesperson for Cricket Ireland confirmed that the match will begin at 6 PM IST (1:30 PM local time), instead of the usual 7 PM IST.
This change was made so that cricket fans don’t have to choose between two big games. Harmanpreet Kaur and her team have a crucial Women’s T20 World Cup match against Australia, which starts at 7 PM. They are playing for a spot in the semi-finals, so it’s a must-watch game. This new timing allows fans to enjoy both matches live. The men’s T20 series against Ireland is being held in Belfast on Friday and Sunday.
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What about the England series timings?
Right after the Ireland tour, the team heads to England for a five-match T20 series, and the timings are all different. Three matches in Chester-le-Street, Nottingham, and Bristol will start late at 10 PM IST. The other two games, in Manchester on July 4 and Southampton on July 11, will be at the regular 7 PM IST slot. Following the T20s, there are three ODIs, all of which will start at 3:30 PM IST.
India’s First T20I in Belfast
This is a historic moment for the Indian men’s team as they are playing a T20 International in Belfast for the first time. The last time Team India played here was way back in 2007 for a few ODIs against South Africa and Ireland. In recent years, India has only played in Dublin, winning all six T20s they played there in 2018, 2022, and 2023.
Shreyas Iyer’s Captaincy Debut, Eyes on Young Vaibhav
This series is also bringing some new changes to the team. Mumbai’s Shreyas Iyer, who also bats for Punjab Kings, will be making his debut as the Indian captain. Also, everyone is waiting to see if 15-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi will make his debut in an Indian jersey. He is part of the squad for both the Ireland and England tours.
Former Player M.V. Narasimha Rao to Ring the Bell
To kick off the second T20I on Sunday, former Indian leg-spinner M.V. Narasimha Rao will ring the traditional bell at the Stormont Cricket Ground in Belfast. Rao played four Tests for India between 1978-79 and later moved to Ireland. He also has a Ranji Trophy win under his belt as the captain who led Hyderabad to victory against Delhi in the 1987-88 season.
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