Indian Premier League 2022 to kick off on March 26, final on May 29

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 will begin from March 26, the IPL Governing Council (GC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced after a meeting on Thursday evening.

“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,” IPL chairman Brijesh Patel told Cricbuzz after the lengthy meeting.

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The announcement came hours after reports revealed that the GC had decided to hold the tournament in Maharashtra: while 55 matches will be played in Mumbai across three venues, namely Wankhede Stadium, DY Patil, and Brabourne Stadium, 15 matches will take place at the MCA International Stadium in Pune.

While the authorities that be had reportedly considered overseas venues such as those in South Africa and Sri Lanka, Patel said that the improved COVID-19 situation in India prompted the GC to come to decision to hold the 10-team league in India itself.

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The tournament is slated to wrap up on Sunday, May 29, but as it stands, the venues for the play-offs have not been decided. Cricbuzz reported that there are talks about holding the play-offs in the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat, but Patel told the publication, “We will decide about the play-offs later.”

The BCCI has also decided on venues for practice sessions for teams, and Cricbuzz reported that teams would be allotted time slots for practice at the BKC ground, Brabourne Stadium, DY Patil ground, and either MCA Ground in Kandivali or in Thane.