ECB moves three India T20 start times to 5:30 p.m. in July

The England and Wales Cricket Board has advanced the start times for three of the five upcoming Twenty20 Internationals against India to maximize television viewership in the subcontinent. The matches, part of India's white-ball tour of England scheduled from July 1 to July 19, will now begin at 5:30 p.m. local time (10:00 p.m. IST), an hour earlier than the previously planned 6:30 p.m. slot.

The decision was finalized after consultations between the ECB, host venues, the Board of Control for Cricket in India, and broadcast partners Sky Sports in the UK and Sony Sports Network in India. The adjustment aims to make the matches more convenient for Indian audiences, with play concluding around 2 a.m. IST instead of 3 a.m. The remaining two T20Is, on July 4 at Old Trafford and July 11 at the Ageas Bowl, will retain their originally scheduled start time of 2:30 p.m. local time (7:00 p.m. IST).

This change underscores the significant commercial value of fixtures involving India for English cricket. The ECB has repeatedly identified India tours as critical broadcast properties, and its recently published financial report highlighted reliance on such high-value series. The shift from...