IPL 2021: Last 2 league games to be played concurrently

The final two league matches in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be played concurrently, the tournament’s Governing Council confirmed on Tuesday. According to the original schedule, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) were slated to take on Mumbai Indians (MI) at 3:30 pm on October 8 in Abu Dhabi. 

The match will now be played at 7:30 pm, with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) taking on the Delhi Capitals (DC) simultaneously in Dubai. 

“In a first for the IPL, the last two league matches before the VIVO IPL 2021 Playoffs will be played concurrently,” a press release from the BCCI read. 

“On the last day of the league stage (08.10.2021) of the ongoing season, instead of having one afternoon match and one evening match, two matches (SRH v MI and RCB v DC) will be played simultaneously at 7.30 PM IST (6.00 PM GST),” it added. 

Also Read | IPL 2021: Rishabh Pant overtakes Virender Sehwag as Delhi’s top run-scorer

The decision was made at an IPL Governing Council (GC) meeting on Tuesday, Cricbuzz reported. The council has also confirmed that the appointment of the two  new IPL teams that will be inducted into the league from 2022 will be made on October 25. The board will then release the IPL Media Rights tender for the 2023-2027 cycle. 

The IPL 2021 playoffs are scheduled to begin on October 10 with Qualifier 1 in Dubai, where the first and second-placed teams on the points table face for a place in the final.

Also Read | IPL 2021: Rana, Narine star in 5-wicket win vs DC to boost KKR top 4 hopes

This will be followed by the Eliminator match the following day in Sharjah, where the third and fourth-placed teams face off for a chance to play Qualifier 2 against the loser of the first Qualifier for a place in the final.

The final will be played on October 15, two days before the start of the ICC T20 World Cup, also to be held in the UAE. 

Delhi and Chennai Super Kings are more-or-less assured of a spot in the playoffs, leading the standing with 16 points each. RCB are third with 12 points, while Kolkata Knight Riders are fourth with 10. 

Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings are all locked on eight points each, with Sunrisers Hyderabad out of contention with just four points.