Agencies

The Indian Premier League finally has a tentative schedule. The Indian cricket board (BCCI) wants the league to begin on September 26 (a Saturday) and conclude on November 8 (Sunday) — a period of 44 days to host 60 games.

Broadcaster Star India and the franchises are reported to have reservations about this ‘constricted scheduling’.

According to industry sources, Star wants to make optimum use of Diwali week in a bid to rake in advertisements in this lean times. Diwali is on November 14 , a saturday and stars want to conclude this weekend Those opposing BCCI’s timetable say it’ll mean more afternoon matches, which would affect visibility and ratings.