Ahmedabad will host the Indian Premier League’s final on June 3, along with Qualifier 2, while Mullanpur will stage the first two play-off games this month, the BCCI has announced.
Considering the monsoon, the BCCI has also shifted the May 23 fixture between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Bengaluru to Lucknow. The last match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium was washed out.
Hyderabad and Kolkata were supposed to host the play-offs, as per the original dates, but the IPL schedule had to be revised in the wake of the India-Pakistan military conflict that halted the event for a week.
The BCCI has also taken the monsoon season into consideration while deciding on the venues. “The new venues for the playoffs were decided by the IPL Governing Council, keeping in mind the weather conditions and other parameters,” said the BCCI in a statement.
Extra time extended
The BCCI has also increased the extra time to complete matches to 120 minutes from the existing one hour. The step has been taken considering the unpredictable weather.
Previously, 120 minutes of extra time was only reserved for play-offs and not league games. “Similar to the playoffs stage, an additional one hour will be allocated to the playing conditions for the remaining matches of the league stage, starting May 20,” the statement added.
Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator will take place in Mullanpur on May 29 and 30, while Ahmedabad will stage Qualifier 2 and final on June 1 and 3. Ahmedabad had earlier hosted the IPL final in 2022 and 2023.
The announcement of the IPL schedule has also ensured that Punjab Kings will be playing their opening play-off game at home. Punjab Kings have qualified for the play-off for the first time since 2014. RCB and Gujarat Titans have also made it to the play-offs.