After its suspension in the wake of recent military tension between India and Pakistan, the Indian Premier League (IPL) will begin anew on May 16 or 17. It is also likely that the final of the tournament may be shifted from Kolkata, as initially planned.
The news of a Saturday ceasefire paved the way for the IPL to get back on track after it was suspended on May 9 for a week. Senior members of the IPL Governing Council and BCCI officials met on Sunday to chart the resumption of the tournament.
BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla informed that the board is yet to finalize the revised schedule. "So far there is no decision on IPL. BCCI officials are chalking out the solutions. BCCI secretary, IPL Chairman are discussing with franchises and all, so soon we will come to know about the decision, all efforts are being made to restart the tournament early," he stated.
The league will be resuming, as per a source with IPL, with the game between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Lucknow — a game that was initially set for May 9.
"All the teams have been instructed to recall their players. The tournament is likely to resume either on May 16 or 17 in Lucknow. The schedule for the final will be announced tomorrow (Monday)," the source told PTI.
The source added that matches would most probably be held at four major venues, apart from Delhi and Dharamsala, from where equipment has already been taken out.
Qualifier I and the Eliminator are also scheduled to remain in Hyderabad as per the original plan, but the final might be relocated from Kolkata to Ahmedabad because of rain issues. "There is no change in venues for the play-off stage at present but it appears rain can play a spoilsport in the final in Kolkata. In that scenario the final could be hosted in Ahmedabad," the source continued.
Addressing PTI, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said: "Over the next few days, we will go into consultation with the franchises, broadcasters, sponsors and the state associations to host the remaining matches before crystallizing to a decision on the resumption of the league.".
"Holding the importance of IPL at this point, it will also be wise and important to get the Government of India's nod prior to fixing the time for its resumption."
Concerning the postponed PBKS vs DC match
The abandoned game between Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings, which was suspended in Dharamsala because of escalating India-Pakistan tensions, could have both teams being given one point each. PBKS were going strong at 122 for 1 in 10.1 overs when the match was abandoned. Players were subsequently taken by bus to Jalandhar and then went to Delhi by train.
If the rest of the tournament is limited to only four grounds, then Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals, and Mumbai Indians will lose their home-ground benefit. The grounds likely to accommodate the remaining 16 matches are Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Lucknow.
With RR, SRH, and CSK already out of playoff race, the battle between the remaining seven teams for the last four spots is very tough. Gujarat Titans at the moment are leading the table with 16 points and a net run rate of 0.793, then there's Royal Challengers Bengaluru (16 points, 0.482), Punjab Kings (15), Mumbai Indians (14), Delhi Capitals (13), Kolkata Knight Riders (11), and Lucknow Super Giants (10).
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