The 20th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) could begin earlier to avoid the extreme heat of May and the threat of pre-monsoon rainfall. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has confirmed that the board is exploring the possibility of starting IPL 2027 on March 10 so that the season can conclude by mid-May.
IPL 2026 began in late March and concluded on May 31, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru winning a second successive title to become only the third team in the tournament’s history to achieve the feat.
“This year, IPL started around the March 29th (28th), and it was over by May 31. Only thing which we are discussing is that during the fag end of the tournament after May 15…there is apprehension of having rainfall or pre-monsoon season starting,” Saikia said.
“On the other hand, there is hot weather which is not very conducive either for the players or for the crowds. So therefore, there is a discussion going on in BCCI as well as in our IPL Governing Council regarding whether we can start the tournament a little bit earlier than the fag end of March,” he added.
Saikia said he has spoken to BCCI General Manager Abbey Kuruvilla about identifying a suitable window for IPL 2027 to begin in the second week of March.
“From next year, we will make an effort, and I have already instructed our General Manager (Games Development) to look for the windows whether we can start it by 10th of March and conclude it by 15th of May. So that there are no adverse weather conditions in the run-up to the playoff and the finals of the IPL 2027 which will be the 20th edition,” Saikia said.
According to Saikia, concerns over weather conditions have been raised by both players and fans.
“I’m hearing a lot of complaints from the fans as well as from the players, because not all players are very well equipped or well acclimatised to play in such hot conditions. So, to provide a pleasant atmosphere for the tournament, we want to close it by 15th of May. That is our first goal now, and that is the prime area of concern for the next year’s 20th edition of IPL, which will be a big event,” he said.
