'Nobody else should be allowed': Sunil Gavaskar urges BCCI action over fresh IPL concern

{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nobody-else-allowed-sunil-gavaskar-082400278.html","headline":"'Nobody else should be allowed': Sunil Gavaskar urges BCCI action over fresh IPL concern","datePublished":"2026-04-28T08:24:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-28T08:24:00.000Z","keywords":["Sunil Gavaskar","Indian Premier League","BCCI","reserve players","Richie Benaud"],"description":"Sunil Gavaskar criticised long IPL match durations, blaming frequent on-field entry of reserve players and staff for delays. Despite BCCI penalties, games...","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Yahoo Sports","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://s.yimg.com/cv/apiv2/default/icons/favicon_y112_112.png","width":112,"height":112},"url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"TOI Sports Desk","url":"","jobTitle":""},"creator":{"@type":"Person","name":"TOI Sports Desk","url":"","jobTitle":""},"provider":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Willow Sports","url":"http://www.willow.tv/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":301,"height":100,"url":"https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/IF9NGuErKp6OC6deJYcWKw--~B/aD0xMDA7dz0zMDE7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net/images/user-uploaded/WillowSports-Light.png"}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/UZkxXgq3wZs7ub4DCcDLGQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0xMzUwO2NmPXdlYnA-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/willow_sports_articles_673/2e1e286140eb9746c71dfb7004ae5efe","height":675,"width":1200},"thumbnailUrl":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/UZkxXgq3wZs7ub4DCcDLGQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0xMzUwO2NmPXdlYnA-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/willow_sports_articles_673/2e1e286140eb9746c71dfb7004ae5efe"}Story by'Nobody else should be allowed': Sunil Gavaskar urges BCCI action over fresh IPL concernTOI Sports DeskTue, April 28, 2026 at 8:24 AM UTC·2 min readNEW DELHI: Sunil Gavaskar has raised concerns over how long IPL matches are taking and what he calls unnecessary on-field activity during games.While the Indian Premier League continues to entertain fans with thrilling contests and rising young stars, many matches this season have stretched well beyond the expected three-hour window, sometimes crossing four hours.This has started to test viewers’ patience. Even though the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has introduced penalties for slow over-rates, delays remain a recurring issue.Gavaskar believes one major reason behind the slowdown is too many people entering the field during play. He pointed out that reserve players and support staff frequently walk onto the ground, even for small things like handing drinks."Often, one sees the unnecessary sight of reserve players stepping onto the ground to give a bottle of water to a fielder near the boundary. That should not be allowed, as it effectively means more than 11 players on the field while play is on, even if it is between deliveries," Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-day."During strategic time-outs too, one often sees half a dozen people on the field, including batters who are yet to come in. That is taking liberties too far. Apart from two reserve players carrying drinks and two members of the coaching staff, nobody else should be allowed on the ground."Calls for stricter rules and faster playHe also stressed maintaining discipline and respect for the field, recalling advice from Richie Benaud."As…

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