IPL 2020: IPL final to be held on 24th May in Mumbai; timings of night matches to remain the same

On the 27th of January, 2020, the IPL Governing Council decided against moving the timing of the night games, despite earlier speculation that most stakeholders wanted the matches to begin at 07:30 pm IST, as opposed to 08:00 pm IST.

The decision was arrived at in a meeting held in New Delhi, wherein they also discussed a few other aspects, including the date and venue of the final of the 2020 edition of the IPL. After the meeting, BCCI President, Sourav Ganguly said:

There will be no change in the timing of IPL night games. It will start from 8pm like earlier years. There was discussion about 7:30pm but it is not happening.

Furthermore, the complete schedule of the competition was drawn up, with the opening encounter slated for the 29th of March whereas the final would be held at the Wankhede Stadium on the 24th of May.

Additionally, the Governing Council decided that there would be lesser number of double-headers throughout the tournament, with that number being reduced to five.

Also, the BCCI decided on hosting an exhibition All Stars match before the commencement of the IPL, with the game being held for a charitable cause. It is believed that most of the top international stars would participate in the aforementioned contest, thereby providing fans with the chance to whet their appetite, days before the cash-rich league takes centre stage.