Kolkata Knight Riders slam BCCI over mid-season IPL rule change

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Wednesday expressed their discontent with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over a mid-season change to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 playing conditions, calling for greater consistency in the tournament’s rule enforcement.

According to the Indian media, the franchise took issue with the BCCI’s recent decision to amend match timings by adding an extra hour of buffer for rain-affected games—an adjustment made during the final stretch of IPL 2025.

KKR CEO Venky Mysore conveyed the team's concerns in an email to IPL COO Hemang Amin, noting that such a change, if implemented earlier, might have altered the fate of their May 17 clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), which was abandoned due to rain.

"While these mid-season changes to the rules may be necessary under the circumstances, one would have expected more consistency in the way such changes are being applied. The washout ended KKR's chances of making the playoffs. Such ad hoc decisions and inconsistencies of applying them are not appropriate for a tournament of this standing," Mysore stated.

KKR were eliminated from playoff contention following the washed-out encounter in Bengaluru—a match that, under the revised timing rules, might have allowed a shortened five-over contest. The team sits sixth on the points table with 12 points from 13 games, their maximum potential capped at 14 points.

It is pertinent to mention that the timing revision was approved during the IPL Governing Council meeting with immediate effect, affecting the remaining eight league fixtures.

According to the new rule, matches scheduled for 7:30 PM (Indian time) can now start as late as 9:30 PM without overs being reduced—a full hour longer than the previous allowance.