‘Why play IPL in harshest heat’: KKR co owner Juhi Chawla backs Lalit Modi’s call to move IPL schedule

Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Juhi Chawla has publicly backed former IPL chairman Lalit Modi’s proposal to rethink the tournament’s traditional April-May window, arguing that a January start would offer better playing conditions and a stronger experience for players and fans.

Chawla, co-owner of IPL franchise KKR, responded to Modi’s suggestion on X, saying the league has grown to a point where it should shape the global cricket calendar rather than merely fit into it.

“The IPL no longer needs to find its place in the cricket calendar. It has earned the right to influence it,” Chawla wrote.

She questioned why cricket’s biggest domestic T20 league continues to be staged during India’s harshest summer months.

“So why keep playing the biggest cricket tournament on the planet in the harshest heat? And if the calendar is being reconsidered, why not January instead of April-May?” she added.

Chawla said a shift to January could deliver “better conditions, better cricket” and “a better experience for everyone overall,” before adding that the IPL had evolved and its calendar may need to evolve too.

Her comments came after Modi urged the BCCI to examine two scheduling alternatives: beginning the IPL in January or spreading the competition across an October-to-April window.

Modi has argued that the current March-to-May period brings extreme heat and evening weather disruptions, including storms and rain that can affect matches.

Ending her post with the hashtag “#JustAThought,” Chawla wrote: “The IPL has evolved. Perhaps its calendar should too now!”

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What it could mean

A January IPL would represent a major departure from the tournament’s established summer slot and would require careful coordination with international cricket, player workload, broadcast commitments and venue availability. No official BCCI decision on a schedule change has been announced.

Chawla’s intervention is significant because it comes from within the KKR ownership group, giving Modi’s proposal a high-profile franchise-level voice.

Modi, the IPL’s founding chairman, has previously said that world cricket must adapt to the league’s scale, framing the scheduling debate as part of the IPL’s growing influence on the international game.