BCCI Reveals IPL '21 Schedule; RCB Vs MI In League Opener
The BCCI, on March 7, released the schedule for the much-awaited Vivo IPL 2021. Starting on April 9, the series will have a total of 56 group matches that will be held at six venues - Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, and Mumbai - till May 30. The tournament opener will be the defending champions Mumbai Indians facing Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai. Interestingly, for the first time in IPL history, no teams will have home advantage as all the games will be played at neutral venues. Moreover, the playoff games, including the final, will be held at the newly opened Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Following the previous trends, the double-header game days will happen in two slots - 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm. BCCI Secretary Jay Shah stated, "a call on allowing spectators will be taken at a later stage of the tournament." Notably, the last edition of IPL was conducted in the UAE.