With an aim to minimise risk of Covid-19, the Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council (GC) has ensured that each of the eight team will travel only thrice during the group stage in the upcoming season of the lucrative league.
Earlier on Sunday when the GC announced the schedule of the league said in a statement: “The fixtures of the tournament have been mapped in a way that every team will travel only three times during the league stage, thus reducing commute and minimising risk.”
“The VIVO IPL this year at home will be played behind closed doors to begin with and a call on allowing spectators will be taken at a later stage of the tournament,” the statement read further.
Significantly, the cash-rich league, which will begin on April 9, will be played in India after the 2020 edition was organised in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to the pandemic.
The GC also said that the league will be held in six cities — Chennai, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata. The statement also said that each team will play in four of the six designated venues during the league stage.
Apart from the final, the knockout stages of the competition will also be held completely at the newly built Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.