India leg of IPL to start from May 2

 

The Indian leg of the tournament in India will be played in Ranchi between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). 

Thirty-six regular season matches, plus the four playoffs will be played in India.

"After discussions with the authorities in India, the BCCI is pleased to announce that a total of thirty-six regular season matches, plus the four playoffs of the Pepsi IPL 2014, will be played in India, starting Friday, 2 May 2014," Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Sanjay Patel said in a statement on Thursday.

"Each franchise will play nine matches in India, with five of the eight teams playing at least four matches in their home stadium.  Chennai Super Kings will play two matches at Ranchi, while Kings XI Punjab will play two games at Cuttack. Rajasthan Royals will play four matches at Ahmedabad. There will be no matches on Thursday, 1 May, Friday, 16 May and Saturday, 17 May," he said.

Meanwhile, Patel announced two changes to the UAE leg of the schedule.  

The evening match on Apr 26 in Abu Dhabi, between Kings XI Punjab and KKR, would be designated as a home match for KKR.

The match on Apr 28 in Dubai, between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kings XI Punjab, will be designated as a home game for Kings XI Punjab.  

“Following on from the launch of ticket sales for the UAE leg today, I am pleased that we are now able to confirm the dates for the rest of the season.  It is great news that the fans back home in India will be able to watch a large part of the Pepsi IPL 2014. Given the various challenges and the logistical complexities, we have spent a considerable amount of time in crafting a balanced schedule,” Sunil Gavaskar, Interim President, BCCI-IPL, said.

Ranjib Biswal, Chairman, IPL Governing Council, added: “We are delighted to have the season back in India at the start of May. Organising an event of this scale at multiple venues in two countries is an enormous organisational  undertaking and we are very grateful to the Government of India, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the police authorities in the various states for their support.”