The IPL 2022 season is expected to begin from March 27, and the BCCI has finalised the venues for the 15th season of the cash-rich league. Four venues were listed during a meeting between BCCI officials, the IPL governing council, and franchise owners. The IPL 2022 season will feature a 10-team field and up to 74 matches.
Mumbai’s three stadiums— Wankhede, Brabourne and DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai — and Pune were shortlisted as possible venues.
The BCCI wants to hold the tournament in Maharashtra, with the first game likely to be played in Mumbai, according to preliminary discussions. However, due to its close proximity to Mumbai, Pune was also considered.
The BCCI has also kept South Africa as a viable option given the seriousness of Covid cases in Mumbai. A final decision on the venues will be given to the franchises by February 20 after monitoring the situation in Mumbai.
The possibility of UAE hosting IPL 2022 was also discussed in the meeting. In order to reduce overall costs, franchise owners preferred the UAE over South Africa. However, the impact of due has forced the BCCI to count out UAE as an option.
The UAE successfully hosted two consecutive IPL seasons in 2020 and 2021. The dew factor, on the other hand, had a significant impact on the outcome of the games. The same thing happened at the T20 World Cup, which was also held in the UAE.