IPL 2021 Venues: All you need to know

The 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL), which will begin in Chennai on April 9 and conclude in Ahmedabad on May 30, will be the first season to be played at neutral venues within India.

Six cities — Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata — will host the event. None of the teams will play on their home ground.

The tournament will be played in three legs with Chennai and Mumbai hosting the first leg from April 9 to April 25, followed by Delhi and Ahmedabad from April 26 to May 8. The third and final leg will be held in Bengaluru and Kolkata from May 9 to May 23 before the action moves to Ahmedabad for the play-offs, starting on May 25.

Chennai, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata will host 10 matches each and Ahmedabad and Delhi will host eight matches each. Here is a look at the venues

Chennai – MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk)

Seating Capacity: 33,500

Anna Pavilion End, V Pattabhiraman Gate End

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have made Chepauk their fortress over recent years, with their spinners plugging away on the slow, dry pitch. Low totals in the beginning of the season can be expected at this ground. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar can be expected to feature among the star performers in the opening match of the season.

Mumbai – Wankhede Stadium

Seating Capacity: 33,000

Garware Pavilion End, Tata End

The Wankhede has been known for serving up high-scoring totals and boundaries in plenty in past seasons. Though the likes of Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard will not get to clear the fences this season, the likes of Rishabh Pant can be expected to bring out the fireworks in the first match at this venue.

Ahmedabad – Narendra Modi Stadium

Seating Capacity: 132,000

Adani Pavilion End, Reliance End

The renovated stadium on the outskirts of Ahmedabad – the world’s largest cricket stadium – will jointly host the second leg of the league phase, before the four teams who make it to the playoffs return here for the knockout stage. The pitch at the stadium has traditionally assisted bowlers, something which was seen in the recent Test series against England as well.

Delhi – Arun Jaitley Stadium

Seating Capacity: 41,820

Stadium End, Pavilion End

The stadium in Delhi is the second oldest international cricket stadium still functional in India, after Kolkata, and has witnessed numerous feats. Known to have a tricky pitch to bat on, teams batting second have a better record at this venue.

Bengaluru – M Chinnaswamy Stadium

Seating Capacity: 35,000

Pavilion End, Beml End

The Bengaluru ground, set to host the last leg of the league matches, is known to see some high-scoring encounters and big boundaries.

Kolkata – Eden Gardens

Seating Capacity: 68,000

High Court End, Pavilion End

Like the Chinnaswamy, the Eden Gardens has hosted some high-scoring matches in recent seasons of the IPL and the team that has won the toss has generally chosen to bowl first.

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• IPL 2021
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