Reports | IPL 2020 to start on September 19; final on November 8

On Tuesday, chairman of the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL), Brijesh Patel, announced that the tournament, on the back of the World T20 2020 getting postponed, will be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and there have been multiple reports confirming that the IPL organizers have already spoken to the Emirati government and got the necessary permission to stage the competition.

Now, three days after the announcement, reports have emerged that the thirteenth edition of the tournament, that will be held in UAE, will kick-start on September 19, which is 57 days away, with the final set to be played on November 8. According to a BCCI official, the 51-day window scheduled for the tournament would suit all parties - including the franchises, broadcasters and other stakeholders. 

"IPL in all likelihood will start on September 19 (Saturday) and the final will be held on November 8 (Sunday). It is a 51-day window which will suit the franchises as well as the broadcasters and other stakeholders," a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

While there were initial reports that suggested that the tournament would kick off on September 26, it is believed that the organizers preponed the start-date by a week in order to make life easier for the Indian players ahead of the Australia tour. The Indian side will need to observe a 14-day quarantine period when they land in Australia and the tournament finishing on November 15 would have been a nightmare for the players ahead of their tour Down Under. 

"The Indian team will have a mandatory quarantine of 14 days as per Australian government rules. A delay would have sent the plans haywire,” the official said. 

The official further confirmed that there will be fewer number of double-headers as originally planned and added that the 51-day window is as good as it can get. 

"The best part is that 51 days is not at all a curtailed period and there will be much less double headers. We could stick to the original five double headers in a seven week window.”

According to a TOI report, it is believed that franchises will shift base to the UAE on August 20, giving them a four-week preparation window ahead of the tournament. 

Meanwhile, a Cricbuzz report has also confirmed that chairman Brijesh Patel has said that the tournament will start on September 19, with the final being held on November 9.