The BCCI announced on August 2 that the 2020 IPL will commence on September 19 after being postponed twice before. Although initially scheduled for March 29, and then April 15, this year’s Indian Premier League will start mid-September and end on November 10. Interestingly, the latest edition of the Indian Premier League will be held in three locations in the United Arab Emirates.
With plenty of changes in the sports world this year, cricket has also seen its fair share of firsts. The audience and fans can expect something different than what they’re used to during the 53-day tournament in UAE. However, some changes are acceptable compared to no cricket events, which comes as great news for avid fans and bettors. Luckily, you will get a chance to be part of the Sportsadda and IPL experience with only one click.
To find out more about IPL 2020, stay tuned.
IPL 2020 — How, When, Where?
The first fixture details for the 2020 IPL were released on February 18 with the initial idea being to have the league play out in a tournament format in Mumbai. The first game between the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings, previous season’s finalists, was scheduled to start on March 29 at the Wankhede Stadium. However, all original plans were scrapped soon after and the Indian Premier League was postponed until April 15. After the second delay, the starting date of the IPL was indefinite.
After a video conference between the Indian Premier League Governing Council at the beginning of August, the tournament’s third and official start date landed on September 19. At around the same time, the ICC decided to postpone the Men’s T20 World Cup in India, which led to the BCCI asking for the Government of India’s permission to hold the IPL tournament in UAE.
The tournament will be played in three locations in the UAE — Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Dubai. IPL matches will be played over a period of 53 days and it will end on November 10.
Although the stadiums can take between 17,000 and 25,000 spectators, all of the matches will be played without an audience for the time being. The matches will be played in the afternoons and evenings, with afternoon games starting at 15.30 IST and evening games starting at 19.30 IST.
What Changes to Expect
As we get accustomed to the new normal, there will be some changes during the 2020 tournament. For example, the no-ball call will be directed to the third umpire as the first and second umpires will not be able to conclude if it was a no-ball or not. This change was much awaited as it’s almost impossible for the first and second umpires to accurately call a no-ball each time.
Another important change that was much appreciated by the players was the introduction of the concussion substitute. With this change in place, a batsman hit on the helmet suffering a concussion can be substituted for another batsman during the match.
Furthermore, the BCCI has announced a new Power Player format that will be applicable starting in this year’s IPL. Teams following the Power Player format will announce 15 playing players and 11 non-playing players before the game. This way, instead of the usual 11 players, each team will have 15, making it easier for players to switch positions when required.
There have been some team changes in the IPL as of this and last year. At the end of 2019, captain Ravichandran Ashwin was transferred from Kings XI Punjab to the Delhi Capitals. During the same time, a statement was issued about the released players with Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa, and Chris Lynn being the most well-known names. The 2020 transfer window has seen 12 transfers between the teams.
