The 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League will begin on April 9, exactly 12 days after the Indian cricket team completes its ongoing assignment against England, a BCCI source revealed on Saturday.
The third and last match of the ODI series against England will be held on March 28 in Pune. The duration of the popular T20 league has been fixed keeping in mind India’s International schedule.
“We have provisionally decided that IPL will start on April 9 and end on May 30,” a senior BCCI source said.
“The formal approval of dates and venues will be done during Governing Council meeting next week,” the source added.
Considering the prevailing circumstances when efforts are being made to minimise the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the BCCI has decided to host IPL matches in five cities - Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Delhi and Ahmedabad.
The allotment of matches to Chennai and Kolkata would be done, keeping in mind the state Assembly election scheduled there in the next few weeks.
Also, the Asia Cup, that was scheduled in June this year in India, stands cancelled “now that India have qualified for the World Test Championship final, courtesy their 3-1 series win over England.”