ECB reschedules India T20Is to boost television audience

The England and Wales Cricket Board has revised the start times for England’s T20I series against India national cricket team next month in a bid to maximise television viewership across global markets.

The three floodlit matches in the five-game series will now begin at 5:30pm BST instead of the originally planned 6:30pm starts. The revised timing means the games will begin at 10:00pm IST, making them more accessible for audiences in India.

India’s white-ball tour of England runs from July 1 to July 19 and includes five T20Is followed by three ODIs. The scheduling change reportedly came after discussions involving broadcasters, including Sky Sports in the UK and Sony Sports Network in India.

The adjustment highlights the growing commercial importance of India-related bilateral series for English cricket. The ECB’s recent financial report noted that revenues are heavily dependent on “high-value broadcast series,” particularly tours involving India.

Ticket demand for the series has already been extremely strong. All three ODIs have sold out, while only a limited number of tickets remain for the T20Is.

India recently announced a 16-member squad for the tour, with Shreyas Iyer named T20I captain and 15-year-old sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi earning his maiden senior India call-up.

Before arriving in England, India will also play two T20Is against Ireland national cricket team in Belfast on June 26 and 28. Interest in those games has surged following Sooryavanshi’s inclusion, although both fixtures had already sold out before the squad announcement.

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