New Delhi: Sunil Gavaskar has expressed concerns over the duration of IPL matches and what he termed unnecessary on-field activities during the tournament.
While the Indian Premier League continues to delight fans with exciting matches and rising young stars, many matches this season have fallen well beyond the expected three-hour window, sometimes spanning four hours.
This is already beginning to test the audience’s patience. Delays remain a recurring issue despite the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) imposing penalties for slow over-charging.
Gavaskar believes that one of the main reasons for the slowdown is the number of people entering the stadium during matches. He pointed out that reserve players and support staff often walked to the ground, even for something as trivial as passing a drink.
Gavaskar wrote in his Mid-day column: “One often sees the unnecessary sight of a reserve player walking up to the ground and handing a bottle of water to a fielder near the boundary. This should not be allowed as it effectively means that there are more than 11 players on the field when the match is going on, even between deliveries.”
“During strategic timeouts, it is common to see six people on the pitch, including batsmen who have not yet been introduced. This is outrageous. No one else should be allowed on the pitch other than two reserve players carrying drinks and two members of the coaching staff.”
Calls for tougher rules and faster games
He also emphasized maintaining discipline and respect for the field, recalling advice from Richie Benaud.
“As Richie Benaud once told me at the beginning of my broadcasting career, the ground is a sacred place and only the umpires and those playing the match have access. That is why, if I am not doing pitch reports or TV shows, I rarely step foot on the ground. Hopefully the BCCI will also ensure that committee members with full passes do not cross the line. Please keep the sanctity of the playing ground,” he added.
“Since all batsmen have entered the dugout, the two-minute period can be reduced to one minute. If the batsman is still not ready to face the bowler, a penalty run shall be awarded after several warnings.”
130571362