As India’s beloved T20 league will soon take over the cricketing world, fans’ excitement and anticipation know no bounds. The upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will mark its arrival on March 26 with two new franchises- Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans, that will make the tournament a 10-team competition.
IPL 2022 involved a lot of head-scratching as the decision-makers were left pondering about the venues of the nearing edition. While a month ago, UAE and South Africa were explored as the options, considering the alarming rise of COVID-19 cases in India, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have concluded and decided to host the league in two cities of Maharashtra- Mumbai and Pune.
Limiting the tournament to four venues- Wankhede Stadium, Brabourne Stadium, DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai and MCA International Stadium in Pune, the BCCI aims to reduce the spread of COVID-19 infection.
“The IPL Governing Council at its meeting held yesterday made the following key decisions regarding the TATA IPL 2022 Season. The 15th edition of the Indian Premier League will be played in a bio-secure environment at a single hub to avoid air travel which is considered as a major threat for the spread of COVID-19 infection, thereby affecting the players and the League/matches,” BCCI issued a statement.
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In a press release, the BCCI informed that the tournament involves 70 league matches this season, out of which Wankhede Stadium and DY Patil Stadium will host 20 matches each. The remaining 30 games are spread equally between Brabourne Stadium and MCA International Stadium. The venue for the playoffs is yet to be decided.
“A total of 70 league matches will be played across four international standard venues in Mumbai and Pune. The venue for the playoff matches will be decided later,” the press release further read