IPL 2020: IPL to begin September 19, final on November 10; COVID-19 replacements to be allowed, says report

IPL 2020, which was originally slated to be held from March, was postponed in the wake of an unprecedented Coronavirus situation. (Express Photo)

IPL 2020: The Indian Premier League (IPL) is slated to begin on September 19, while the final will be played on November 10, reports PTI.

This was decided in the IPL governing council meet on Sunday, reported ANI. It was also decided that instead of the usual 8 pm starts for the evening matches, they will begin 30 minutes earlier — at 7.30 pm. The day matches will begin at 3.30 pm, ANI quoted the BCCI source as saying.

As per the new schedule, the IPL 2020 tournament is scheduled to last for 51 days — two days more than what’s stipulated in the governing body’s constitution — and to seek permission for this the BCCI would have to approach the Supreme Court, ANI quoted sources as saying. The longer tournament will ensure that there will be fewer double-headers.

The matches are to be played at Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai, and the teams would travel by road between venues.

The IPL governing council has also given a go-ahead to women’s IPL comprising four teams and the matches will be scheduled during the men’s IPL playoff matches, said the report.

PTI reported that the IPL Governing Council has also decided to retain all sponsors of the event, including Chinese companies. The Indian Premier League’s Governing Council has also approved COVID-19 replacements during the tournament to be held in UAE, it further stated.

The IPL 2020 was scheduled to begin from March 29, but it was postponed due to the Coronavirus outbreak.