Reports | BCCI presents IPL franchises with eight different schedules for IPL 2020
The Indian apex cricketing board has presented the IPL with eight differing schedules for the 2020 season after it failed to start on March 29, with a possible start date of April 16 at the earliest. The same report also suggests that May 1 could be the last date that the tournament can start.
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the IPL had to shift its start date from March 29 to April 15. However, at the moment, the possibility of the event starting on the scheduled date is unlikely. Given that the virus is still having its presence in the country, reports suggest that BCCI have presented the franchises with eight different IPL calendars. The reports also added that all the matches could be played in five to six venues depending on the clearance from the respective state governments. This comes in after the Delhi government did not give its clearance for the state to host the IPL.
According to the reports, the first possible schedule is the event starting from April 16 running till the end of May in a 46-day long tournament. 60 matches will be played, with 17-afternoon games and the standard 14 games per franchise across the two-month calendar. On the other hand, there is also an option of having 21-afternoon games, which reduces the event to a 42-day tournament.
However, if it gets delayed by four days, the BCCI has a fix with the league starting from April 20 running till the end of May. In this calendar, the number of games played will come to a low-down at 44 matches across 42 days, with only 10 matches played per franchise.
Two more options are available during the same timeline, starting April 20. Both of them run till May 24, where 35 days of IPL action will be prevalent. In the two respective schedules, one will be host to a 44-match tournament while the other will be a 32-match tournament, with reduced seven games per franchise in the group stage.
If the tournament does not start until the beginning of May, it will then be a curtailed tournament, running through 31 days hosting 32 matches, with six-afternoon games. The issue with this schedule would be that the franchises only get to play seven games in the group stage, with four playoff matches fixed. At this point, however, neither the BCCI nor the IPL governing council has decided on a date for the delayed start to the tournament.