IPL 2021 to begin from April 9

New Delhi: The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 edition will be played between April 9 and May 30 across six cities in the country, the IPL Governing Council announced on Sunday.

After nearly two years, the IPL extravaganza will return home with Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai & Kolkata hosting the marquee event, the IPL statement said.

Initially, the tournament will be payed behind the closed doors due to COVID-19.

The World’s Largest Cricket Stadium - Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will host the playoffs as well as the final of the event on 30th May.

Defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) to take on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the season opener on April 9 at M A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Each team is set to play at four venues during the league stage. Out of the 56 league matches, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata & Bengaluru will host 10 matches each while Ahmedabad and Delhi will host 8 matches each, according to the statement.

One of the highlights of this edition of the VIVO IPL will be the fact that all matches will be played at neutral venues, no team will play at their home venue. All teams will play at 4 out of 6 venues during the league stage, it added. 

There will be a total of 11 double headers where 6 teams will play three afternoon matches & two teams will play two afternoon matches. The afternoon games are slated for a 1530 hrs start while the evening games will have a 1930 hrs start. (UNI)