Breaking: Schedule Announced For IPL 2020

The Indian Premier League (IPL) announced the schedule for the upcoming season of the league on Saturday. As usual, defending champions Mumbai Indians will kickstart the IPL 2020 and will take on Chennai Super Kings in a rematch of last year’s final at the Wankhede Stadium on March 29.

Mumbai Indians are the reigning champions of the IPL. The Rohit Sharma-led side beat Chennai Super Kings in the previous edition to win the IPL for a record fourth time. No other team has won the IPL more than them.

The upcoming edition will start only 11 days after India’s home ODI series against South Africa ends on March 18 in Kolkata. On a very expected note, the BCCI has minimised the number of double headers. There are only six double-headers in the upcoming season and all of them are on Sunday.

The league phase ends on May 17 – stretching 50 days this season as compared to 44 previously – with Royal Challengers Bangalore taking on Mumbai at home. The schedule of the knockouts is yet to be announced. The date for the All Stars clash has not been announced either. Previously, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had said that the clash featuring players from all the eight teams will take place before the IPL starts.

As far as venues are concerned, all the franchises except Rajasthan Royals will play their home games at their traditional home grounds. The Royals can also play their home games in Guwahati. The Royals want to host their second and third matches in Guwahati, scheduled for April 5 (against the Delhi Capitals) and April 9 (against the Kolkata Knight Riders).

However, officials from the Rajasthan Cricket Association, which owns the Jaipur ground that has been the first home base of the Royals, has objected to the franchise picking Guwahati as the second home venue and has filed pleas in the court.

Here is the IPL schedule: