IPL 2020 highly likely to begin on March 29; Mumbai Indians set to play curtain raiser at the Wankhede Stadium

What’s the story?

In a chat with IANS, a Delhi Capitals official said that the 2020 edition of the IPL is primed to start on the 29th of March with Mumbai Indians playing the first encounter at the Wankhede Stadium.

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The 13th season of the cash-rich league has already started garnering plenty of expectations, which reached a fever pitch during the IPL Auction conducted in Kolkata on the 19th of December, 2019.

The heart of the matter

While opening up to IANS, a Delhi Capitals official remarked that next year’s IPL is slated to begin on the 29th of March and the game will feature defending champions, Mumbai Indians playing at home.

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However, if that were to be the case, the franchises might have to do without the services of Australian, English and New Zealand players, considering the Trans-Tasman rivals would be embroiled in a T20I series that culminates on the 29th of March, 2020.

Similarly, the Three Lions’ Test against Sri Lanka ends on the 1st of April, meaning that the likes of Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler and Sam Curran could be missing.

A few days earlier, another senior official of one of the franchises had stated that the sides hoped that the IPL Governing Council would begin the competition from the 1st of April so that most of the players would be available for the entire duration.

Having said that though, if the rumours of the tournament starting on the 29th are true, it would mean that the GC has prioritized games spread across a slightly larger period, thereby ensuring that the fans are more comfortable with the timing of the matches.

What’s next?

It would be interesting to see when the 2020 season actually starts and while there is a high possibility of it beginning on the 29th of March, it would be wise to wait for an official confirmation before marking the dates on one’s calendar.