IPL from this week, finals venue to be decided

Suspended due to the India-Pakistan military conflict, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to resume either on May 16 or 17, with the possibility of the final being moved out of Kolkata

New Delhi: Suspended due to the India-Pakistan military conflict, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to resume either on May 16 or 17, with the possibility of the final being moved out of Kolkata.

The announcement of ceasefire on Saturday paved the way for the resumption of the league that was suspended on May 9 for one week.

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The IPL Governing Council members and the BCCI officials discussed the resumption plan on Sunday.

BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla said the board is still working on creating a suitable schedule.

“As of now, there is no decision on IPL. BCCI officials are working out on the solutions. BCCI secretary, IPL Chairman are in talks with franchises and everyone, so very soon we will know about the decision, efforts are being made to resume the tournament early,” said Shukla.

An IPL source said the league will resume with the match between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Lucknow — the game which was supposed to be played on May 9.

“All the teams have been asked to call back their players, and the tournament will resume either on May 16 or 17 in Lucknow. The final schedule will be shared tomorrow (Monday),” a source told media.

“Most likely, the matches will be held at four venues and Delhi and Dharamsala won’t get to host more matches. All the equipment has already been removed from these venues,” added the source.

The source also said that there won’t be any change in the venue for Qualifier I and Eliminator that Hyderabad was supposed to host, but Kolkata may miss out on hosting the final, most likely on June 1, due to rain forecast on that day in the city.

“As of now, there is no change in venues for the play-off stage but it seems rain can affect the final in Kolkata. In that case, the final could be played in Ahmedabad,” said the source.

Speaking to media, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia added: “In the next few days, we will begin consultations with the franchises, broadcasters, sponsors and the state associations slated to host the remaining matches before crystallising into a decision on the league’s resumption.

“Given the importance of IPL at this juncture, it will also be prudent and necessary to take the nod of the Government of India before finalising the time for its restart.”

The abandoned game between PBKS and DC

It is possible that the two teams will be awarded a point each. Punjab Kings had raced to 122 for 1 in 10.1 overs when the game in Dharamsala had to be stopped due to heightened tension between India and Pakistan.

The players were ferried in bus to Jalandhar in Punjab from where they travelled to Delhi by train.

If only four venues are chosen to host the remaining 16 games, then Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians will miss out on their home games.

It means the remainder of the tournament will be restricted to Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Lucknow.

CSK, RR and SRH are already out of the reckoning and the battle for sealing the four play-offs spots is among seven teams.

Gujarat Titans as of now are leading the table with 16 points and superior NRR of 0.793, followed by 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).