Image Credit- ILT20
According to a league spokesman, broadcasters’ request
to “build momentum and intensity” led to the last-minute modification
in the ILT20 play-off competition schedule.
The Eliminator and Qualifier 1 will now take place on Tuesday instead of
Wednesday, as per the announcement made by the ILT20 on Saturday. Qualifier 1
will now take place on Wednesday instead of Tuesday. The league did not give a
rationale for the switch in its press release.
“The change was made on the request of the
league’s broadcast partner,” an ILT20 representative said on Wednesday.
With the Indian broadcaster Zed, the league announced a “long-term global
media rights contract” in May 2022. Since then, all of the league’s
matches have been carried on Zee’s digital and conventional channels.
When further asked whether the broadcaster had
provided a reason for its request, and whether the availability of overseas
players was considered, the spokesperson said: “[It was] to build momentum
and intensity for the playoffs and the finals, and thereby build even higher
viewership for the matches.”
MI Emirates, who finished first in the league table
despite dropping their last two group matches, found the new dates to be
advantageous. Three players who played in the West Indies’ victory over
Australia in Perth the night before—Akeal Hosein, Tim David, and captain
Nicholas Pooran—were available for them to use in Wednesday’s Qualifier 1.
The franchises competing in Tuesday’s Eliminator found the modification to be
less beneficial. Because of their engagement in the T20I series in Australia,
Jason Holder and Rovman Powell were unavailable to the Dubai Capitals, while
Andre Russell was unavailable to the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders.
The ILT20 has seen a lot of player churn, and in the
last week, all four of the remaining teams added players expressly for the
knockout stages. This season, the six teams have combined to deploy 133 players
in 32 games.
The winners of Tuesday’s eliminator, the Dubai Capitals, will face the losers
of Wednesday night’s qualifying match between Gulf Giants and MI Emirates on
Thursday. In the final on Saturday in Dubai, the winners of Wednesday’s
Qualifier 1 will face the winners of Thursday’s Qualifier 2.