IPL 2020 set to commence on March 29; Mumbai Indians to play the tournament opener at the Wankhede

The 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction was recently held in the ‘City of Joy’ Kolkata where dreams were made and shattered with the drop of the hammer. This was, of course, a mini-auction where each of the eight franchises were looking to plug the holes in their squads. So, ever since the event has concluded, anticipation has ripe as to when will the cash-rich league get underway.

Initially, there were reports that the franchises were apprehensive about the BCCI kickstarting the tournament on March 29. But, now it looks like the same date has indeed been locked as the curtain-raiser for the 13th edition of the IPL.

According to a report in India Today, a Delhi Capitals official has revealed that the 2020 edition will commence on March 29 with the defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) kickstarting their campaign at the iconic Wankhede Stadium. “I am told that the 2020 edition of the IPL will start on March 29 at Wankhede,” the official said.

England, Australia and New Zealand players likely to miss the first couple of games

The reason behind the apprehension of the IPL franchises at the BCCI’s decision to start the tournament on March 29 is there will be two International series- New Zealand vs Australia, T20Is and Sri Lanka vs England, Tests- going on at that time. While the T20I series ends on the day when the IPL is slated to begin now, the Test series between England and Sri Lanka only ends on March 31.

This means the opening two-three games of the IPL will be bereft of stars from Australia, England and New Zealand, something the franchises were hoping that the IPL Governing Council will consider. “See, while the Australia-New Zealand series ends with the final T20I being played on March 29, the second Test of the series between England and Sri Lanka technically ends only on March 31.

“In such a scenario, you start the season minus your big players and that isn’t a happy occasion. If we do start from April 1, the scenario looks so much better. Hopefully, the IPL GC will see what we are speaking about makes for a consideration,” the official of one of the franchises had earlier said.

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