Mumbai, April 3 (IANS) The Indian Premier League (IPL) will return to India May 2 for the remaining 36 matches, including four play-offs, that will be played in the home-leg.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had fruitful discussions with the authorities at home and decided that the IPL can be played at home from May 2. The first leg of the IPL will be held in UAE April 16-30 due to the general elections in India.
In the home-leg, each franchise will play nine matches and five of the eight teams will be playing at least four matches in their home stadium.
Chennai Super Kings will play two matches at Ranchi, while Kings XI Punjab will play two games at Cuttack. Rajasthan Royals will play four matches at Ahmedabad. There will be no matches May 1 and May 17.
The schedule of the UAE leg has also been tweaked. The evening match slated for April 26 in Abu Dhabi, between Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders, will now be designated as a home match for Kolkata Knight Riders. The April 28 match in Dubai, between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab, will be designated as a home game for Kings XI Punjab.
“Following on from the launch of ticket sales for the UAE leg today, I am pleased that we are now able to confirm the dates for the rest of the season,” Sunil Gavaskar, interim President, BCCI-IPL, said.
“It is great news that the fans back home in India will be able to watch a large part of the Pepsi IPL 2014. Given the various challenges and the logistical complexities, we have spent a considerable amount of time in crafting a balanced schedule,” he added.
IPL chairman Ranjib Biswal said the BCCI was delighted to have the season back in India at the start of May.
“Organising an event of this scale at multiple venues in two countries is an enormous organisational undertaking and we are very grateful to the government of India, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the police authorities in the various states for their support,” he said.