IPL 2022 to be played entirely in Mumbai?

The Indian Premier League (IPL) happens to be the most-watch Twenty20 (T20) cricket tournament globally. With IPL 2021 edition ending just three months back, the preparations for IPL 2022 are already underway. However, the increasing COVID cases in the country have jeopardised the venues for the tournament, with a single city like Mumbai being the preferred choice.

If one remembers, IPL 2021 was being conducted across six venues in India before the bio-bubble was breached, and the tournament was suspended for six months. The remainder of the competition was then shifted to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and completed in the gulf. Also, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was immediately forced to conduct the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE for the same reason.

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As per reports, the initial aim for the BCCI would be to conduct IPL 2022 as usual across ten or more cities, if possible. However, if the COVID cases continue to surge at the time, the BCCI is bringing in Plan B to host the entire tournament in Mumbai. Notably, there are three prominent venues in Mumbai: the Wankhede Stadium, the Brabourne Stadium and the DY Patil Stadium (Nerul, Navi Mumbai). However, sources had indicated Newsable during IPL 2021 that a fourth venue, the Reliance Cricket Stadium in Ghansoli (Navi Mumbai), could also be in contention.

The reports have hinted that there are no plans for the BCCI to move the tournament to the UAE. However, the dates could be preponed slightly to reduce the congestion caused due to too many double-headers and day games. On the other hand, the schedule for IPL 2022 is yet to be finalised, while the BCCI is still awaiting the formation of the two new teams.

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While the Lucknow franchise has completed nearly all the formalities, with the official team name still pending, issues persist with the Ahmedabad franchise, especially its owner CVC Capitals and its alleged links to a betting company. Meanwhile, the IPL 2022 Mega Auction will be held on February 12-13 in Bengaluru, while the two new sides will pick three players from the auction pool as early birds.