England has decided to change the start times of three of the five T20Is against India next month in an effort to increase Indian television viewing.
Five T20Is and three ODIs make up India’s white-ball tour of England, which is set to take place from July 1 to July 19. An ECB sources told Sports Now that matches originally scheduled to begin at 6:30 PM local time (11 PM IST), three T20Is will now start at 5:30 PM (10 PM IST). The matches would probably last till two in the morning instead of three in the morning, which will make them more convenient for Indian spectators.
As planned, the final two T20Is will begin at 2:30 pm local time (7:00 pm IST) on July 4 at Old Trafford and July 11 at the Ageas Bowl. England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the hosts, the BCCI, and broadcasters, like Sky Sports in the UK and Sony Sports Network in India, discussed the decision
The change shows how profitable India matches are for English cricket. Television viewers have a significant influence on scheduling decisions, and the ECB has always recognised India tours as some of its most significant broadcast properties. The majority of T20I and ODI tickets have already been sold out, demonstrating the high level of fan interest in the series. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, a 15-year-old exceptional talent who has already become a great crowd-pleaser in India within two years of his IPL debut, will add to the excitement this time.
Indian broadcaster’s decision to telecast and stream the India A tri-series against Afghanistan A and Sri Lanka A in an effort to enjoy the Sooryavanshi show would be encouraging to the ECB.
Even though the games are slated to be floodlit, artificial lighting is unlikely to have a significant impact. Since the sun sets in England after 9 P in July, most of the play is anticipated to occur during the day.