MUMBAI: The fixtures for the 11th edition of the Vivo Indian Premier League were announced on Wednesday with defending champions Mumbai Indians hosting two-time winners Chennai Super Kings in a bumper opening tie at the Wankhede Stadium on April 7.
Significantly, matches will be played at the tried and tested 8 pm slot while double-headers during weekends will have games at 4 pm and 8 pm respectively.
IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla had last month said that broadcaster Star Sports had requested a 7 pm start on weekdays and 5:30 pm and 7 pm slots for double-headers.
However, a section of franchises who are 50 percent stakeholders in the IPL revenue model, expressed their grievances with the change in timings as it was done without consulting them.
An early start would have meant an early conclusion to the matches in the night, ensuring prime time coverage.
Though the BCCI has maintained the status quo as far as match timings are concerned, some franchises are still pushing for a 3.30 pm and 7 pm start to the games, along with the broadcaster.
The 11th edition of the world's most popular and competitive T20 tournament will be played at nine venues across 51 days.
Fans in Chennai and Jaipur will get their share of the IPL frenzy as MA Chidambaram Stadium and the Sawai Mansingh Stadium will host home matches of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals respectively.
Kings XI Punjab will play their three home matches in Indore and four matches at home in Mohali.
The upcoming edition will feature 12 matches that will be played at 4:00 PM IST and 48 matches will start at 8:00 PM IST.
The final between the winner of Qualifier 1 and the winner of Qualifier 2 will be played at Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, May 27.
Key dates:
Opener: 7th April
League run: 7th April – 20th May
Final: 27th May
The complete schedule can be accessed by clicking here...
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