The much-awaited Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 schedule was announced on Sunday. Mumbai Indians, the defending champions led by Rohit Sharma, will take on the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings in the opening match in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, September 19. The action will shift to Dubai for the second game where Delhi Capitals will face Kings XI Punjab on Sunday, September 20. SunRisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore will also compete in Dubai on September 21 while Rajasthan Royals will host the three-time IPL champions CSK in Sharjah on September 22.
The evening matches of the tournament, which will be played in the United Arab Emirates, will start at 19:30 IST. There will be 10 double-headers, and the afternoon matches will begin at 15:30 IST.
Dubai will host 24 games, 20 matches will be played in Abu Dhabi while the remaining 12 matches are scheduled to be played in Sharjah.
Venues for the playoff and the final are yet to be announced, according to the BCCI release.
The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League is being held in the UAE due to the rising number of coronavirus cases in India.
The cash-rich league was originally scheduled to begin on March 29, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the T20 World Cup, originally planned to be held in November, postponed to 2022 due to the global virus crisis, the BCCI decided to shift the IPL to the September-November venue.