The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 will kick off on March 26. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has acceded to the demands of Star, the host broadcaster which had asked for a Saturday start, as first reported by Cricbuzz.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the IPL Governing Council (GC) on Thursday (February 24) evening.
At a busy meeting, held virtually, the GC has also confirmed another Cricbuzz report that the IPL will be staged in Maharashtra, with 55 games in Mumbai and 15 in Pune. Four stadiums have been identified for the league, with the break-up of the games being 20 at the Wankhede, 15 at Brabourne Stadium, 20 more at DY Patil Stadium and finally 15 at Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) ground in Gahunje.
IPL chairman Brijesh Patel has confirmed the news and revealed that the tournament will not be played out in front of empty stands like the last few editions, barring the UAE leg of IPL 2021. “The IPL will kick off on March 26, the full schedule will come soon. We will also have crowds but as per the policy of the Maharashtra government. Whether it will be 25 or 50 per cent of the stadium capacity will be decided by the government instruction,” the IPL chairman told Cricbuzz.
The tournament is set to wrap up on Sunday, May 29. The venues for the playoffs are yet to be decided but there have been talks of holding them in Ahmedabad. When asked about it, Patel said, “We will decide about the play-offs later.”
This is the first time the BCCI have categorically stated that the league will not go overseas. There have been plans to explore overseas venues, like South Africa and Sri Lanka, but the improved Covid situation in the country has encouraged the BCCI to hold the 10-team league in India itself. The exact number of days and full schedule, as Patel said, will be released soon.
The BCCI has also identified four grounds for practice, something that the organisers have been brooding over for some time. The teams will be allotted times for practice at the BKC ground in Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai, Brabourne Stadium in South Mumbai, DY Patil ground in Navi Mumbai and either MCA Ground in Kandivali or in Thane.
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There have also been decisions with regard to Women’s IPL, which the BCCI is contemplating starting next year. Cricbuzz understands that the Women’s games will be held this year like before (a la Women’s T20 Challenge).
The GC has also been informed, Cricbuzz learns, that for the first time, the IPL has been able to fill up all six sponsor slots – one title sponsor and five associate sponsors. Every year otherwise, there would remain a few vacant slots.
IPL 2022: 55 games to he held in Mumbai
The report adds that 55 games will be held in Mumbai and 15 in Pune.Four stadiums have been identified for the league as reported yesterday.The break-up of the games are 20 at the Wankhede, 15 at Brabourne Stadium, 20 at DY Patil Stadium, and finally 15 at Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) ground in Gahunje.
The IPL will kick off on March 26: Brijesh Patel
IPL chairman Brijesh Patel confirmed the tournament’s start date.
“The IPL will kick off on March 26, the full schedule will come soon. We will also have crowds but as per the policy of the Maharashtra government. Whether it will be 25 or 50 percent of the stadium capacity will be decided by the government instruction,” he told Cricbuzz.
BCCI Accedes To Star Sports’ Demand Of March 26 Start For IPL 2022
On February 24, the Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council (GC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials met to discuss the details of the IPL 2022 and it seems that the BCCI has acceded to the demands of the Star, the host broadcaster which had asked for a Saturday start, as per Cricbuzz.
The earlier report had said that BCCI wanted the IPL 2022 to begin on March 27, Sunday, but Star Sports wanted to utilize the whole weekend and have the tournament begin on Saturday, March 26 with a doubleheader on March 27, Sunday.
“We understand that a Saturday start helps the broadcaster to kick-start the league with a bang with three matches in the first weekend. A Sunday inauguration would not permit that. The BCCI and the broadcasters were in discussion over this and eventually, it could be on March 26,” a franchise official stated.
As per BCCI’s plans, the tournament begins on March 27 and ends on May 29. Based on this, Star Sports has also asked the commentators of the league to make themselves available from March 19 to June 7 via email.
