IPL 2022 to have 55 league matches in Mumbai, 15 in Pune - Reports

The IPL 2022 league stage will see 55 matches played across three venues in Mumbai and a further 15 games in Pune, according to a report in Cricbuzz.

The matches in Mumbai will be held between the Wankhede Stadium, Brabourne Stadium and DY Patil Stadium. The MCA International Stadium will host the games in Pune.

The report further stated that all teams will play four matches each at the Wankhede Stadium and DY Patil Stadium, and three each at Brabourne and Pune.

The venues for the playoffs and the final are yet to be decided.

IPL 2022 to begin on March 26 or March 27

The IPL 2022 season is set to begin on one of two dates, according to the Cricbuzz report -- either March 26 or March 27.

March 26, Saturday, is reportedly the preferred date of the official broadcaster. The date of the final, however, has reportedly been fixed for Sunday, May 29.

The final decision on the venues and dates will likely be taken tomorrow, when the IPL Governing Council is set to meet.

With the addition of the Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans, IPL 2022 will see the number of participating teams increase to ten from eight. The competition will adopt a new format, with the teams being divided into two groups of five.

Each team will face the other teams from their group twice. They will also face one team from the other group twice, and the other four teams once, making it a total of 14 matches per franchise in the group stage.

The points table will be a consolidated one, and not separate ones for the two groups. The playoffs will happen as they have been, with the top four teams qualifying for the knockout stages.

The two top-ranked teams will face off in Qualifier 1, while teams finishing third and fourth will play in the Eliminator. The losers of Qualifier 1 will play the winners of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2.

The winners of Qualifier 1 and Qualifier 2 will play in the final.