Indian fans can breathe a sigh of relief. They won’t have to wake up early or miss school/college/work to watch the India Cricket Team play at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has set a 9 AM start time for the LA28 Olympics cricket matches to favour the Indian audience. With a 12 and a half hours of difference in time, the marquee matches will start at 9:30 PM in India, perfect for all audiences.
Like the T20 World Cup 2024, there will be another time slot of 6:30 PM local time (Pacific Daylight Time). Those matches will start in India at 7 AM IST, as cricket returns to the Olympics after a 128-year absence. Kit McConnell, who was associated with the entire process of cricket’s return to the Olympics, said that the start time was chosen to suit the core cricket markets in the subcontinent.
“The vision the ICC has outlined for us is aimed at providing the best players and the best teams on the Olympic stage. There are three years to go. But now we’re very excited about where cricket is, what it will bring to the Games and equally what the Olympics can offer to cricket and its global expansion as well,” Kit McConnell told the BBC Sport.
With favourable timing for the Indian market, the IOC is also expecting nearly $100 million from the LA28 Olympics broadcast deal. It is an opportnuity for the IOC to cash in and increase revenue. For the Paris Olympics broadcast deal, Viacom18 paid $31 million. Now, the IOC expects the new bid to be in multiples.
LA28 Olympics Cricket Start Times
| Location | Match 1 Start Time | Match 2 Start Time |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 9:00 AM | 6:30 PM |
| India/ Sri Lanka | 9:30 PM | 7 AM |
| Pakistan | 9 PM | 6:30 AM |
| Bangladesh | 10 PM | 7:30 AM |
| Australia | 2 AM | 11:30 AM |
| South Africa | 6 PM | 3:30 AM |
| New Zealand | 4 AM | 1:30 PM |
| England | 5 PM | 2:30 AM |
| Caribbean Islands | 12 PM | 9:30 PM |
Olympics Cricket Format
During the ICC Annual General Meeting which started in Singapore on July 17, the stakeholders also finalised the tournament format. The six teams will be divided into two groups of three each. All three teams will meet each other once in their group. Those three teams will also face two teams from the other group. For example, 1st team from Group A will take on 2nd and 3rd Team from Group B. But they won’t face the 1st team from Group B.
After the 2nd round, Top 4 teams will be in the knockouts while the bottom two will be knocked out. The Top two teams will play for the Gold medal match on July 29, while the 3rd and 4th placed teams will face off in the bronze medal match.
However, there is no update on the qualification process yet. There could be a qualification tournament for the LA28 Olympics cricket.
- Six teams are split into two groups of three
- Each team plays the other two teams in their group once.
- Each team then plays two teams from the other group, excluding the team in the same ranking position (e.g., Group A’s 1st plays Group B’s 2nd and 3rd).
- Results from all four matches per team determine final rankings.
- Top two teams compete in a final for gold and silver medals.
- Third and fourth-placed teams play for the bronze medal.
