IPL 2022 to kick off from March 26, league stage to be played in Mumbai, Pune

The forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 edition will begin on March 26, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have confirmed on Thursday evening (February 24). The final decision regarding the commencement of the 15th edition was expected after the IPL general council meeting, which was held on Thursday.

Post the IPL GC meeting, the final date is now out as the upcoming season will begin in just over a month.  "The IPL will kick off on March 26, the full schedule will come soon. We will also have crowds but as per the policy of the Maharashtra government. Whether it will be 25 or 50 per cent of the stadium capacity will be decided by the government instruction," the IPL chairman told Cricbuzz.

The ten-team showpiece event will be held in India, with Maharashtra hosting the league stage. Mumbai and Pune will host the 70-game league stage, with 55 games to be held in Mumbai's three venues and the remaining 15 in Pune (20 at the Wankhede Stadium, 15 at Brabourne Stadium, 20 more at DY Patil Stadium and 15 at Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) ground in Gahunje, Pune).

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The venues for the playoffs are not yet decided. However, Ahmedabad remains a frontrunner to host the knockouts. When asked about it, Patel said, "We will decide about the play-offs later." The full schedule of the IPL 2022 edition will be out soon.

This year's season will see two new teams making their respective debuts, i.e. the KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Hardik Pandya's Gujarat Titans. 

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The IPL 15 final will be held on May 29. The MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are the defending champions, having won the tournament for the fourth time during last year's edition.