Last season’s finalists will kick off the 2020 IPL on September 19.
The defending champion Mumbai Indians will face Chennai Super Kings in the first match of the 2020 Indian Premier League, to be played on September 19 in Abu Dhabi, BCCI announced when revealing the league phase schedule on Sunday ( September 6).
The action will move to Dubai on September 20 when Delhi Capitals will begin their campaign against Kings XI Punjab, followed by Sunrisers Hyderbad’s inaugural clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore on September 21.
Sharjah’s opener on September 22 will see season one finalists Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings square off.
The first of 10 programmed double headers, will be on October 3. The evening games will start at 3:30 PM IST (2:00 PM UAE time), while the regular night games will start at 7:30 PM IST (6:00 PM UAE time) .
Five of the 10-day games will be hosted by Abu Dhabi. Dubai will host four matches in the afternoon, while Sharjah will only have one match starting at 2pm. All teams will play a minimum of two day games, with only RCB, KKR, RR and SRH playing three.
How the venues and matches of the day are divided
| Teams | Dubai | Abu dhabi | Sharjah | Afternoon games * |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mumbai Indians | 3 | 8 | 3 | two |
| Super Kings of Chennai | 7 | 4 | 3 | two |
| Capitals of Delhi | 7 | 4 | 3 | two |
| Hyderabad sunrises | 8 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 3 | 8 | 3 | 3 |
| Royals of Rajasthan | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Kings XI Punjab | 7 | 4 | 3 | two |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders will play 8 of their league matches in Abu Dhabi, while Sunrisers Hyderabad will play 8 of their matches in Dubai. The maximum number of games that Chennai Super Kings, Kings XI Punjab, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals will play in one venue is 7 each in Dubai.
The Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, have a nearly equal distribution of matches, with five in Abu Dhabi and 6 in Dubai. All teams will play three games each in Sharjah. In total, 24 matches will be played in Dubai, 20 in Abu Dhabi and 12 in Sharjah.
The league phase will span 46 days, with the final league match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians in Sharjah on November 3. The dates and venues for the IPL playoffs, the final and the T20 women’s league have yet to be announced.
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