The 14th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which had been postponed on May 4 after several COVID-19 cases inside its bio-bubble had surfaced, will resume on September 19, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed on June 7.
The finals will be played on October 15, a BCCI official privy to discussions held at the meeting with the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) told news agency ANI.
He added: “BCCI was always keen on a 25-day window to finish the remaining matches.”
The remaining IPL matches will in all likelihood be played in Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi.
The BCCI official said: “The discussions went really well and with the ECB already giving us the oral nod to host the event ahead of the BCCI SGM, it was about closing the deal over the last week.”
Notably, BCCI had announced on May 29 that the remaining IPL 2021 matches will be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
After IPL season 14 was suspended due to COVID-19, BCCI officials had said that the matches will likely resume between September and October.
PTI had earlier quoted BCCI officials as saying: “The BCCI has spoken to all the stakeholders and the likely start could be between September 18 and 20. Since September 18 is a Saturday and 19 a Sunday, it is more likely that you would want to re-start it on a weekend date.”
The official had further said: “Similarly, October 9 or 10 will be the final as it is a weekend. We are finalising the itinerary and there will be 10 double headers and seven evening matches along with four main games (two qualifiers, one eliminator, and the final), which completes the list of 31 matches.”
(With ANI inputs)