
Is It Too Hot To Play Cricket In India? Experts Say: "12 Per Cent Danger Of Heat Stroke"
A bunch of climate scientists and researchers, having analysed the IPL's 18th season or 2025 say that this year's matches were played under "Extreme Caution" or "Danger" on the Heat Index - a measure that combines air temperature and humidity to assess heat-related risk.
More than 36% of 2025 IPL games took place under "Extreme Caution" conditions, where heat exhaustion becomes a serious threat, with a further 12% reaching a "Danger" classification where the risk of heatstroke becomes significant.
Is it too hot to play cricket in India?
What are experts saying?
NDTV's @cheerica brings you this report pic.twitter.com/bH5G9cznX5
— NDTV (@ndtv) July 22, 2025
The findings come from a report produced by the British Association for Sustainability in Sport (BASIS), Climate Central, Frontrunners and The Next Test.
A total of 65 IPL matches were assessed for the study. Scientists are saying that they are witnessing a clear trend towards more frequent and more intense heat conditions for key cricketing nations. Players are now being asked to perform in environments that are not just uncomfortable, but potentially dangerous, with rising temperatures and humidity levels pushing human physiology towards its upper limits. This isn't just about performance - it's increasingly a question of player safety.
The report charts a sharp rise in hazardous heat days at almost every major cricket stadium in India since 1970. In Mumbai, the number of these high-risk heat days has jumped by 125%, while Thiruvananthapuram recorded more than 100 hazardous heat days in 2024 alone. These are days when temperatures exceed safe limits for human health, dramatically increasing the risk of heat-related illness. And it is not just India, nations like Pakistan, Australia, and South Africa also seeing a significant surge in extreme heat days.
Several elite sports like Wimbledon, the Club World Cup have also been impacted.
When in comes to cricket, no major nation has been spared-
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Caribbean and the UK are all facing a variety of climate extremes that are impacting the professional and grassroots game.
Cricket stars and cricketers of all generations tell Hit for Six: the danger zone of the impacts to the game they love.
Daren Ganga, former West Indies Captain (48 Tests) 'There is no doubt in my mind that today cricket faces its ultimate test. Forget concerns around different formats, TV deals or the battle for eyeballs in a multi-screen age. This challenge is an existential one and it comes in the form of a rapidly changing climate. I have played in blistering heat and vividly recall the nausea, the dizziness, the cramps that come with feelings of heatstroke. I have witnessed the disruption, despair and uncertainty sown by extreme and unpredictable weather. And things are only expected to deteriorate for the next generation of players, fans and clubs.'
Ashton Turner, Australia (28 Tests), Rajasthan Royals, Lucknow Super Giants, "We can't separate cricket from the places we play in - under open skies, on natural turf, in conditions that are changing faster than ever. As players, we've seen firsthand how weather extremes are already impacting the game. It's time cricket wakes up to the reality of climate change - not just for the future of our sport, but for the communities and countries we represent. We can't afford to sit on the sidelines."
2025 is set to be in the top 3 warmest years on record, says the UN's WMO weather agency, a phenomenon that scientists say is overwhelmingly due to the burning of three fossil fuels: coal, gas and oil.
The report takes into account the psychological and physiological responses from cricketers of all the major test playing nations.
The report says," Cricket is a game that requires its players to have a wide range of physical and psychomotor skills, including concentration, hand-eye coordination, agility, fast decision making, fast reaction times, sprinting and endurance. These technical skills, cognitive and physiological capabilities, must be maintained at the highest of levels over the course of often long periods. Many of these functions are adversely affected by the heat and high body temperatures. The implications for cricket matches being played in very hot conditions are many and varied."
This extreme heat threatens to affect the cricketers and fans. Perhaps time for policy makers to act on it.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


News18
an hour ago
- News18
'Bumrah Bowled From The Wrong End, Kamboj Shouldn't Have Taken The New Ball'
Last Updated: The former Australia captain felt India's Jasprit Bumrah bowled from the "wrong end" during Day 2 of the Manchester Test versus England. Ricky Ponting tore into the Indian bowling attack and didn't even spare the great Jasprit Bumrah after a flop-show from the tourists on Day 2 of the Manchester Test against England. The Australian legend felt Bumrah's tactics were off on a day where the Bazball brigade was in its element and exercised dominance on an Indian side that regularly lost its lines, erring on both sides of the wicket. On a surface that changed its colours after the sun sneaked through the dark clouds that hovered over Old Trafford for most of India's batting effort, England openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley raced to an opening stand of 166 in response to the visitors' 358 all out. While Crawley hammered a resurgent 84 off 113 balls, Duckett nearly pulled off a century, being dismissed on 94 off just 100 deliveries. England coasted to 225/2 by stumps. Even pace ace Bumrah lacked his usual venom with the new ball. Bumrah recovered and delivered an encouraging second spell late in the day, but still ended with no wickets for 37. Ponting felt Bumrah had bowled from the 'wrong end" for most of his spell. Sky Sports. Young Anshul Kamboj (1/48) showed nerves of a Test debut, before Mohammed Siraj (0/58) and Shardul Thakur (0/35) emerged expensive and ordinary, forcing skipper Shubman Gill to use left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (1/37) for an extended spell just to regain some control. Jadeja got rid of Crawley to bring India back in the contest. Soon Kamboj got Duckett edging a wide one to wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel. 'They got scored off on both sides of the wicket, didn't they? You know, we broadly talked then about how they bowled to (Ollie) Pope. I think they were tactically off as well. I don't think Kamboj should have taken the new ball. Yeah, I didn't like that from the start. And he was, I mean, and Duckett's five of his first six boundaries were behind square leg side. So they got it tactically wrong there," Ponting said. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Cricketer Yash Dayal accused of sexually assaulting minor; second case against him
Yash Dayal (Image credit: BCCI/IPL) Yash Dayal, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru fast bowler, has been named in a second FIR, this time in Jaipur, accusing him of repeatedly sexually assaulting a minor in 2023. This comes weeks after a rape complaint was filed against him in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad by another woman, who accused him of 'exploiting' her. Sanganer Sadar police station SHO Anil Kumar Jaiman confirmed Dayal's identity in the FIR, registered on Wednesday under Section 64 of the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which prescribes a minimum jail term of 10 years, along with relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! As reported by The Times of India, the latest complaint alleges that Dayal, part of the IPL 2024 title-winning RCB squad, first assaulted the then 17-year-old girl in 2023, and then again in April this year at a hotel in Jaipur. 'It is alleged that around two years ago, when the complainant was a minor, he raped her on multiple occasions after offering to help build her cricket career,' SHO Jaiman said. 'This year, he contacted her again while in Jaipur for IPL duty, called her to his hotel, and allegedly raped her there.' A senior police officer said the case was registered immediately after the survivor chose to report the multiple instances of alleged sexual assault since 2023. Investigators are working on the case, including steps to record her detailed statement, he said. Shardul Thakur opens up on being under bowled, gives inside details on Rishabh Pant Allahabad High Court stayed Dayal's arrest in the Ghaziabad case on July 15, saying no coercive action should be taken against him till the next hearing. The FIR had been filed on July 6 at Indirapuram police station, based on a complaint by the survivor to UP CM Yogi Adityanath through the state's integrated grievance redress system. For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!


Hans India
2 hours ago
- Hans India
'Bravery is one thing, but the team must take care of Pant': Surinder Khanna
Amid the praise of bravery and courage for Rishabh Pant's act to come out to bat again after severely hurting his right foot, former India cricketer Surinder Khanna had a distinct view and felt the team should have guided the wicketkeeper-batter to take care of himself after a severe injury. Pant, who was retired hurt on 37 after being hit on the right toe by Chris Woakes in the final session of the opening day, came out to bat again despite the reports of a fracture on his right foot. When Pant walked out to bat again at Old Trafford on Thursday, the crowd gave him a rousing welcome and former cricketers also hailed his courageous act of putting his body on the line for the team. "At the moment, it was brave - the way he played that reverse sweep and the ball struck his toe. Now, what the medical reports say is all speculation. The fact that he came out to bat after that was very brave. After his car accident, the issues he'd faced should be monitored closely by the medical team to ensure it doesn't turn into a career-threatening injury. It's good to be brave, but at the same time, for longevity, it's important to be careful," Khanna told IANS on Friday. The veteran cricketer remarked that Rishabh Pant should have been rested following the blow to his finger during the Lord's Test, and suggested that Dhruv Jurel - who is currently handling wicketkeeping duties at Old Trafford due to Pant's foot injury - should have replaced him earlier. "And on this tour, this is the second successive time Jurel is doing the wicketkeeping duties. If he's so competent, he should have been played, and Pant should've been given rest. In the previous match too, when Pant injured his finger, it was Jurel who kept wickets. This is turning into a mockery. Either you send Pant to bat at No. 10 or 11... He was playing alongside Washington Sundar. "If I talk about cricket — if I'm out there batting and I want to take a quick single, he (Pant) wouldn't be able to make it. Even sending Pant to bat at No. 11 would have been a brave move. Bravery is one thing, but the team must take care of him. Courage is fine from his side, but not to the extent that it ends up damaging his foot. If that happens, his movement will be restricted, and recovery takes a long time," Khanna explained. The former wicketkeeper-batter further criticised the medical team's approach for not guiding Pant properly in the current situation and called it "foolish". "You're playing for the country, and that's absolutely fine—but in this situation, when you came out to bat, it didn't really benefit the team much. You were on 37-38 and made it to 50 - that goes into your personal record... Sometimes, being brave can actually be foolish. It shouldn't reach a point where you miss the next match or are out for 2-4 months... "You're playing for India, not in the IPL, where people might assume you're doing it for money... It's not like the team went on to post a score of 400-450 either... Our medical team needs to be good enough to guide the player properly in such situations," Khanna said. Pant's 54 guided India to 358, just adding 17 runs to his total after returning to bat again with an injured foot. In response, half-centuries from Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley guided England to 225/2 in 46 overs at stumps, trailing India by 133 runs.