Reports: franchises unhappy with the IPL being conducted across 6 venues

The 14^th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be held in the months of April and May. The annual cricketing extravaganza has been a raging hit among the fans in India where cricket is a religion, and the players are hailed for their deeds on the playing arena.

There is also a report that states that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to conduct the IPL in 6 cities across the country. Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Kolkata are the 6 venues that will host the IPL this year.

However, this move has left some franchises disappointed. In fact, some franchise representatives have revealed that the earlier idea of hosting the IPL in just 2 venues was far better, and even termed the present arrangement as ‘scary’. The representatives added that the previous edition of the tournament was held in just 3 venues, and it was conducted in a smooth manner.

The representatives also opined that that they had already started preparing, thinking that the IPL would be held only in Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad, but now the plans have completely changed.

“Obviously, it’s scary. The earlier idea of hosting it in one or two cities sounded far better. After all, the 2020 edition was conducted between three venues and it went well…Franchises had started preparing, thinking it was only going to be between Mumbai and Pune, with the playoffs in Ahmedabad. Those plans change now. Franchises will want to know more and that will happen soon,” said some franchise representatives to TOI.

Sources reveal that the format of IPL will not change

A source has also revealed that the format of the 14^th IPL edition will remain the same. The tournament will be played with a home-and-away format, and each team will have 7 home and away games each. The source concluded by stating that that there would be a total of 60 matches that will be played, and the grouping of teams into bio-secure bubbles will help in reducing the confusion.

“The format of the tournament will not change. It’s the same home-and-away format, with each team hosting seven and travelling for the other seven. That’ll mean a total of 60 matches, like it is conducted every year. The grouping of teams is only to ensure that preparing bio-secure bubbles becomes easier and there’s less confusion,” concluded the source.