IPL 2027 to Start Early March Due to Heat and Monsoon Concerns

New Delhi. The upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will start a week earlier than usual. 

According to Devjit Saikia, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the IPL is being started early keeping in mind the extreme heat and monsoon forecast. 

Saikia told news agency PTI on Thursday that the 2027 IPL may be held from March 10 to May 15. He clarified that the number of matches in this season will not increase due to the busy international cricket schedule. 

Earlier, there was a plan to increase the number of matches in the league from 74 to 94. Usually, the IPL starts in the last week of March and runs until the end of May. However, Secretary Saikia said that in the second half of May, due to extreme heat in most grounds and the possibility of rain, players and spectators face a lot of hardship.

Intensive discussions are ongoing between the BCCI and the IPL Governing Council on this matter. The board has also directed the Game Development General Manager AB Kuruvilla to find a suitable schedule. To bring the IPL to the early days of March, some changes will have to be made to India's domestic cricket calendar. The BCCI is preparing to finish all domestic cricket tournaments before March 10 so that the IPL can start immediately thereafter.

Rain was a hindrance for many teams in the 2026 IPL season. One match had to be completely cancelled during the tournament, while two matches were played with reduced overs. Besides this, 4-5 other matches were also affected by rain, but it was possible to play full overs later.

On April 6, the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings at Kolkata's Eden Gardens was cancelled due to rain and a wet outfield. In that match, when Kolkata had scored 25 runs in 3.4 overs and lost 2 wickets, the game was stopped and could not be resumed, and both teams shared one point each. 

Similarly, on April 7, the match between Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians in Guwahati was delayed by about two and a half hours due to rain, and the game was shortened to 11-11 overs, in which Rajasthan won by 27 runs. 

On May 7, the match between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru was also made 19-19 overs due to rain, where Lucknow registered a 9-run victory.