IPL to begin on April 9 with no crowds initially

NEW DELHI: The popular Indian Premier League will begin on April 9, the country’s cricket board said Sunday, with organizers set to eschew crowds initially as coronavirus cases rise in India.

The world’s richest Twenty20 tournament was held in the United Arab Emirates in 2020, but its 14th edition this year will be played across six Indian venues.

“The IPL this year at home will be played behind closed doors to begin with and a call on allowing spectators will be taken at a later stage of the tournament,” Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah said in a statement.

India, which has recorded more than 11.2 million coronavirus infections so far in a population of 1.3 billion, launched a mass vaccination drive in mid-January.

The Ahmedabad stadium — the world’s biggest cricket venue that recently hosted England — will host the playoffs as well as the final on May 30.

The eight teams will play all their matches at neutral venues.

Out of the 56 league matches, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore will host 10 matches each, while Ahmedabad and Delhi will share eight games each.

“The BCCI is confident of hosting the IPL at home with health and safety of players and all people involved being paramount,” Shah said.