Indian Premier League 2020 will be played from September 19 to November 10, the BCCI confirmed following the Governing Council meeting on Sunday. The Indian cricket board announced that it has received the official clearance from the Indian federal government to host IPL 2020 in UAE. It was also confirmed that it will be a full-fledged tournament and will be played for a span of 51 days in three different venues. IPL 2020 Dates Update: Indian Premier League 13 Starts From September 19 and Final on November 10; 10 Double Headers Planned.

A top BCCI official was quoted by IANS saying that the IPL final will be played on November 10 (Tuesday), making it the first time that the final of the elite T20 franchise league will be played on a weekday and not on a weekend. “We have decided to go up till November 10 and so the final will be held on a weekday for the first time. Also, to ensure that there are enough gaps between games considering the travelling and the biosecure environment and keeping all these things in mind, we will have 10 doubleheaders this season,” the official revealed.

It was also confirmed that the match starting time has now been moved up from a regular 08:00 pm start to 07:30 pm. There will also be 10 doubleheaders this season with teams needing to comply with the COVID-19 protocols. “We have decided to bring it forward by 30 minutes from the regular time of the IPL which is 8 p.m. for evening games and we will start at 7:30 instead, the official said.

The entry of fans into stadiums amidst the pandemic has been a wide discussion and it was expected that matches will be played in empty stadiums. But the official did not rule out the possibility of allowing a number of fans to enter the stadiums.

“It would be great to have some fans come in as that would boost the morale of the players for sure. But what needs to be remembered is that the safety of the players is priority. So, these are things we will discuss with the ECB at the right time,” the official added.

The board, however, is yet to get a full nod from the Indian government for the IPL to be shifted in a foreign location. But with the go-ahead from Sports Ministry, the board accepts positive response from other departments as well.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 02, 2020 09:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).