BIG BREAKING: IPL 2022 back to India, matches to be held in Mumbai and Pune

The 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to return to India for the first time since IPL 2019. The entire 2022 edition will be played in India. However, it would be limited to just a couple of cities, i.e. Mumbai and Pune; while it will be held across five venues, Asianet Newsable has learnt from highly placed sources.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the IPL Governing Council are yet to finalise the dates and the schedule for the season. However, if the five venues are to be reckoned, they are to be: Wankhede Stadium (Mumbai), Brabourne Stadium (Mumbai), DY Patil Stadium (Navi Mumbai), Reliance Cricket Stadium (Navi Mumbai) and Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium (Pune). The final announcement is expected soon after the IPL 2022 Mega Auction in Bengaluru on Saturday and Sunday.

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India has missed out on hosting regular IPL matches for the past couple of seasons after being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The logistical challenges, followed by the strict guidelines by the Indian government, made it difficult to conduct the tournament in the country. Also, with the health safety of players being the top priority, the BCCI thought twice about hosting it in India.

At the same time, the BCCI also faced challenges in setting up a fool-proof bio-bubble for the teams and the players. Owing to these restrictions, the IPL 2020 was entirely moved to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), held across three venues: Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. Although the BCCI tried to conduct IPL 2021 in India, it was unsuccessful.

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The BCCI had adopted the caravan-style travel system for IPL 2021 to conduct the matches in phases from one city to another. However, halfway through the tournament, around four-five teams' bubble was breached, leading to the competition being halted mid-way. Six months later, it was again shifted to the UAE, where it was completed.