Daily Times

NEWDELHI: The 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL) final will be held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on May 12. On Tuesday, the BCCI released the schedule for the second half of the IPL —- till May 5 — but left out the knockout phase. However, the final will be played on May 12, while the likely dates for the other knockout matches are May 7 (Qualifier 1), May 8 (Eliminator) and May 10 (Qualifier 2). It is also understood that the BCCI has kept Vizag has a standby venue in case any match has to be shifted due to unforeseen circumstances. The BCCI had initially released the dates for the knockouts as part of the final schedule, but that was pulled out immediately. It is believed the reason for that was the BCCI wanted to stay flexible with the knockout dates keeping in mind the IPL will be played during India’s elections, which will take place across seven phases throughout the country. With the Central Election Commission imposing certain restrictions in terms of when the matches would have to be played, the BCCI is being cautious about the knockout dates.

Published in Daily Times, March 20^th 2019.