The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League was postponed indefinitely after COVID cases emerged in the camps of Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals, and Chennai Super Kings. In the month of June, it was announced that the cash-rich league would resume from the 19th of September in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has now officially announced the schedule for the remainder of the tournament that is set to resume in UAE. It will see the remaining 21 matches played in 27 days.
The tournament will resume with IPL’s own El Clásico featuring the defending champions Mumbai Indians facing the Chennai Super Kings in Dubai. The first game at Abu Dhabi will feature Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore while Sharjah’s first game will feature Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings.
13 matches will be held in Dubai, 10 in Sharjah, and 8 in Abu Dhabi. The final game of the league stage will see Royal Challengers Bangalore on the 8th of October. The playoffs will begin with Qualifier 1 on 10th October in Dubai. The Eliminator and Qualifier 2 will be held in Sharjah on 11th and 13th October respectively. The final will be played on 15th October in Dubai.
All the teams are set to play 2 games in Sharjah. All the teams except Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders will play 3 games each in Dubai. MI and KKR will feature in 3 games in Abu Dhabi, Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings will feature in only 1, while all the other teams are set to feature in 2 games at the venue.
IPL is an important tournament because it generates a massive amount of revenue which the BCCI uses to fund its domestic tournaments. However, this year it becomes even more important as it takes place just ahead of the T20 World Cup and will act as an audition for a number of players to stake their claim for World T20.