IPL 2021 Schedule: IPL 14 to start on April 9, FINAL on May 30: List of venues, TV Timings, Format, Other Info

Chennai to host opening game; Playoffs & FINAL in Ahmedabad

The season opener will be held on April 9 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai between the defending champions Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The opening match itself is going to be a high-octane contest.

Playoffs & Final in Ahmedabad

The World's Largest Cricket Stadium - Narendra Modi Stadium - in Ahmedabad will host the Playoffs as well as the final on May 30 which promises to be a visual spectacle. The newly-built stadium that hosted India's second Pink Ball fixture at home with great grandeur will host its first-ever IPL.

56 league games across 6 Cities

Each team is set to play at four venues during the league stage. Out of the 56 league matches, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata & Bengaluru will host 10 matches each while Ahmedabad and Delhi will host 8 matches each.

No Home or Away Concept

One of the highlights of this edition will be the fact that all matches will be played at neutral venues, no team will play at their home venue. All teams will play at 4 out of 6 venues during the league stage.

Timings and Doubleheaders

There will be a total of 11 doubleheaders where 6 teams will play three-afternoon matches & two teams will play two-afternoon matches.

The afternoon games are slated for a 3:30 PM (IST) start while the evening games will have a 7:30 PM (IST) start.

IPL 2021 to begin without spectators

The tournament will be played behind closed doors, to begin with, and a call on allowing spectators will be taken at a later stage.

Each team to travel only three times during the league stage:

The fixtures of the tournament have been mapped in a way that every team will travel only three times during the league stage, thus reducing commute and minimising risk.

After hosting the tournament safely and successfully in the UAE last year with all safety protocols in place, the BCCI is confident of hosting this edition at home with the health and safety of players and all people involved being paramount.