The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 is all set to begin from April 9 in Chennai with a high-octane clash between reigning champions Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
The last season of the cash-rich league took place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to the COVID-19 outbreak. But the upcoming fourteenth edition will return home with Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai & Kolkata hosting the mega event.
A total of 56 matches will be played at the league stage. Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata & Bengaluru will host 10 games each, while Ahmedabad and Delhi shall host 8 games.
One of the major highlights in the schedule is that all matches in IPL 2021 will be played at neutral venues. This means no team will play at their home ground. All sides will play at 4 out of 6 venues during the league stage.
As many as 11 doubleheaders shall take place in the upcoming season, where six teams will play three afternoon matches, and the remaining sides will play two afternoon matches. The afternoon games are planned for a 3:30 PM IST start, while the evening fixtures will begin at 7:30 PM IST.
The iconic Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad will host the Playoffs on May 25, May 26 and May 28, and the final on May 30.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has also confirmed that the tournament will begin behind closed doors in the initial stage. However, a call regarding the arrival of spectators will be taken at a later stage.
“After hosting the tournament safely and successfully in the UAE last year with all safety protocols in place, the BCCI is confident of hosting the IPL at home with health and safety of players and all people involved being paramount,” BCCI said in the release as quoted by Cricbuzz.
