Board of Control of Cricket in India president Sourav Ganguly on Thursday confirmed that the Indian Premier League will return to its original, home-and-away format from the 2023 season, reported PTI.
Since the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020, the IPL has only been played at a select few locations, with the league taking place behind closed doors at three locations in the United Arab Emirates – Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi.
The competition was confined to just four locations in 2021 as well – Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and Chennai – with the rest of the tournament being halted mid-way in the middle of a devastating second wave in India. The tournament was then rescheduled from May to September and moved to UAE.
In 2022, the league stage of the tournament took place in Mumbai and Pune only, with the play-offs and final being hosted in Kolkata and Ahmedabad.
However, with the worst of the pandemic behind us, IPL will resume its previous structure, where each team plays one home game and one away match against each opponent.
“The next season of men’s IPL will also go back to the home and away format with all ten teams playing their home matches at their designated venues,” read Ganguly’s note to state units.
The BCCI is also aiming to host the much-anticipated Women’s IPL’s debut season early next year. In addition to the Women’s IPL, the BCCI will also begin an Under-15 tournament for women.
“The BCCI is currently working on the much-awaited Women’s IPL. We are expecting to start the first season early next year,” Ganguly’s note said.
He added: “We are glad to introduce a girls U-15 tournament from this season. Women’s cricket has seen phenomenal growth across the world and our national team has been performing well. This new tournament will create a pathway for our girls to play at the international level.”