Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli beside the IPL Trophy. (AFP Photo)
The
Indian Premier League
has advanced the 13 th edition of the tournament by a week, rescheduling the beginning date from September 26 to the 19 th with the last to be hung on November 8. Under this schedule, 60 matches will now be played in 51 days as against the 44- day window set aside earlier.
TOI had actually reported the rescheduling of dates on Wednesday, a day after broadcasters Star India conveyed they were “unhappy” with the scheduling. It can likewise be verified now the development of the league’s starting date puts an end to all speculation surrounding the three-match white-ball series that was being prepared against South Africa.
IPL’s governing council chairman Brijesh Patel confirmed on Friday the dates reported by TOI. That, nevertheless, was the easy part. The harder bit will be the effort BCCI puts in to actually make it occur.
IPL
franchises are clear in their need that they would like their players to put together a minimum of 3 week