IPL 2017: Late-night IPL finishes a farce, says Lodha

BENGALURU: Matches ending close to midnight or beyond haven't exactly helped the Indian Premier League's cause. They have had cricketers vehemently protesting against the futility of celebrating victory in the wee hours and others fretting about spectators who stay faithfully at the stadium till the last ball is bowled.
The Eliminator between Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Bengaluru on Wednesday, which was halted by rain for three hours before finally ending at 1.30am, had Kolkata pacer Nathan Coulter Nile summing it up bluntly: "You can't play cricket at 2am!" he said.Coulter Nile's views were endorsed by former chief justice RM Lodha, who felt that games ending at odd hours showed IPL in a bad light. Baffled by the scheduling, Lodha, who led the committee appointed by the Supreme Court to recommend reforms and changes to the BCCI constitution, told TOI: "It leaves a bad taste. For many, such matches are a farce. Players may not be in the proper frame of mind to play after such delays, spectators will be tired."
Referring to Wednesday's Eliminator at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, Lodha agreed that spectators had been shortchanged: "It is no fun getting to see only 6-7 overs of the game after waiting for four hours. There is no entertainment here. It is a punishment. You can postpone only up to a point, not 3-4 hours especially during midnight. Such delays force spectators to leave."
Lodha should know, as his committee has repeatedly stated in its recommendations about how the interests of the spectators - tickets, basic facilities at the stadium, access to an ombudsman to address their grievances among others - have to be protected at all times if cricket has to flourish. Welcoming the IPL Governing Council's decision to look into the rain rule, reserve days and delays, Lodha said: "Proper policy guidelines ought to be put in place so that the game does not unnecessarily get prolonged. We have to remember that spectator interest is paramount. These are the same spectators who return to the stadium to watch the games. It is not one-off."