The IPL will be held in two phases. The discussion began about starting the new season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the end of March.
However, the Indian Cricket Control Board (BCCI) is planning to postpone the schedule by a week. On Tuesday, the news agency PTI informed the IPL chairman Arun Dhumal that they want to start the games on March 22nd. The second phase of the IPL for women will start on February 23rd. The BCCI has already completed all the arrangements for the tournament.
The final of this competition will be on March 17th. The franchise-based women’s T20 league will start after the IPL for boys. The board is considering advancing the schedule mainly due to the Indian parliamentary elections.
Elections will take place in April-May. There were concerns that it might clash with some of the final matches of the IPL. So, the tournament organizers did not want to take the risk. Previously, due to elections, the IPL was held outside India twice. In 2009, it was held in South Africa, and in 2014, it was in the United Arab Emirates, the world’s best franchise league.
However, even during the elections, the BCCI is keen on organizing the IPL in India. That was in 2019. They had a good experience of service but faced many challenges. Based on that experience, they are more cautious this time. However, the BCCI had already informed which tournaments would be postponed from the country. They are also planning to announce the schedule further ahead.
IPL chairman Arun said, “We are considering starting the tournament on March 22nd. Our first match will be in Chennai. Discussions are ongoing with government agencies. The entire tournament will be in India.” However, due to the parliamentary elections, the BCCI will not announce the entire schedule at once.
According to a source in the Indian board, the schedule for the first 15 days of the IPL will be announced. Then the BCCI will finalize the schedule for the subsequent matches after the election day.
