IPL 2026: Prolonged interruptions, slow over-rate in MI vs RCB pose threats to the very purpose of T20s

If the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s innings — which stretched more than half an hour beyond the prescribed 90 minutes in the Indian Premier League (IPL) — was an example of cricket’s quickest format moving at a snail’s pace, the worst was yet to follow at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday night.

After a 16-minute innings break, the Mumbai Indians’ (MI) chase lasted 124 minutes.

The match eventually wrapped up nine minutes shy of midnight, taking the total duration to four hours and 21 minutes. It was long enough to set social media abuzz, with fans debating whether the marquee clash had outlasted several Indian films — not just Lagaan but even Dhurandhar.

To be fair, Mumbai experienced perhaps its hottest day of the summer so far, with players battling dehydration and requiring frequent medical attention. The match also featured 11 reviews and at least five injury-related stoppages, each contributing to the sluggish pace.

Yet, such prolonged interruptions defeat the very purpose of T20 cricket and test the concentration of players at the crease.

Sherfane Rutherford, whose lone fightback helped MI reduce the margin of defeat, admitted that maintaining focus amid repeated stoppages proved challenging.

Rutherford waited patiently as Rasikh Salam went down thrice in the 18th over before eventually heading back to the pavilion after the fifth ball — an over that epitomised the stop-start nature of the contest.

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“Yes, that was the toughest part for me. Every time Rasikh bowls, he takes five minutes,” Rutherford said.

“As a batter, you need momentum. Every time you have momentum, when there is a stop and start, it just keeps slowing up the game. It’s something that no one can control. You just have to learn from it. Hopefully, next time, you just try and stay in the game or try some way of being ahead of the game.”

With temperatures expected to rise further and an extreme heatwave forecast for the Maximum City later this week, prolonged T20 contests could become a recurring theme when MI hosts Punjab Kings on Thursday.

Another contributing factor is the IPL’s revised slow over-rate regulations. Until 2024, captains faced match bans — along with heavy fines — after three offences.

Since the 2025 season, however, the IPL governing council has introduced a demerit points system, with suspensions a distant possibility over a 36-month period. The shift appears to have reduced the urgency among captains to maintain over-rates, further slowing down the game.

It is perhaps time to remind everyone involved in the IPL that T20 cricket is supposed to be fast-paced in terms of speed of the game, not just the run-rate. Is anybody listening?

Published on Apr 13, 2026

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