The 2022 edition of the Indian Premier
League will be held from the last week of March until the end of May, Board of
Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) general secretary Jay Shah confirmed on
Saturday. He also confirmed that the mega auction will be held on February 12 and
13, but did not say it will be held in Bengaluru.

“I am delighted to confirm that the 15th
season of the IPL will start in the last week of March and will run until May
end,” Shah said in a statement following a meeting with IPL team owners. 

He said that a majority of owners wanted the tournament to be hosted in India, adding that the BCCI will “leave no stone unturned” to make that happen. 

“A majority of the team owners expressed their wish that the tournament be
held in India. The BCCI was always keen on staging the 2022 edition that will
see two new teams – Ahmedabad and Lucknow – in India.”

Also Read | Hardik Pandya will be ‘motivated’ to prove himself as leader: Gary Kirsten

“I can tell you that we will leave no stone
unturned in ensuring that IPL stays in India. The BCCI has not compromised on
the health and safety of its stakeholders in the past and will concurrently
work on Plan B since the COVID-19 situation with new variants remains fluid.” 

According to a Cricbuzz report, the BCCI
has been considering to start the tournament on March 27, nearly a week ahead
of the original start date on April 2. This decision was made in order to reduce the number of day games as the league has been expanded to 10 teams, increasing the number of games from 60 to 74. 

Also Read | IPL 2022: Ahmedabad, Lucknow announce Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul as captains

The UAE and South Africa were also considered as potential venues for the 15th edition of the IPL. The final decision will be made considering the COVID-19 situation in Maharashtra. 

IPL player registration closed on January 20. A total of 1,214 players, 896 Indians and 318 overseas, will be up for grabs at the mega auction.