 "Arun Dhumal, IPL Chairman, during the IPL Player Auction in Dubai. Image: Sportzpics")
Indian Premier League (IPL) schedule remains to be confirmed but for the first time a target date has been shared by a BCCI official. IPL chairman Arun Dhumal has said the league could get underway on 22 March but the dates of the General Election will play a role in the complete list of fixtures.
He said to begin with, only the schedule of the first 15 days will be announced, and rest of the fixtures will be decided after the announcement of the election dates.
With the Lok Sabha elections expected for April and May, IPL’s 17th edition will get underway in March and the schedule will be released in a phased manner .
“We are looking at a March 22 start for the tournament. We are working closely with the government agencies and we will first release the initial schedule. The entire tournament will be held in India,” said Dhumal to news agency PTI.
The IPL and Lok Sabha elections clashed in 2009, 2014 and 2019. In 2009 the tournament was held entirely in South Africa. Meanwhile in 2014, it was held partially in the UAE. But the 2019 edition was completely held in India.
With the T20 World Cup slated to begin on 1 June, the IPL final is likely to be held on 26 May.
India will play their opening World Cup fixture against Ireland in New York on 5 June while the ICC showpiece begins with the USA and Canada clash.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAs is the norm, the IPL opener will be played between last year’s finalists, the winners Chennai Super Kings and runners-up Gujarat Titans.