IPL 2020 final to be played on May 24; doubleheaders to be scrapped: Report

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 final will be played on May 24 but the venue for the same hasn't been zeroed in on yet. In a major development, all games are likely to start at 7:30 PM as opposed to the 8:00 PM start that has taken place over the years. A few days ago, it was announced that the defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) will begin their campaign at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on March 29.

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IPL 2020 final to be played on May 24: Report

According to a report by a leading Indian news agency, the 57-day window also meant that official broadcasters of the tournament were likely to have their way and there will be no doubleheaders. In the report, sources close to the IPL Governing Council confirmed that the 2020 edition would be played over 57 days and the longer window meant that doubleheaders are not on the cards as of now. The source said that the full schedule is not ready yet.

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He added that the final is set to be played on May 24 and with the tournament starting on March 29, they have obviously got a longer window. So, there is no problem whatsoever in playing one game a day. When asked about the starting time, considering that the broadcaster is not too keen on an early start, the source said it was almost certain that games would start at 7:30 PM. He added that it wasn't just about the broadcasters, it was also about how late games finished last season.

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No double-headers in IPL 2020

One of the main issues that had been brought up in the past is the moderate turnout in the day games of the IPL, especially on working days. The host broadcaster had asked for the elimination of the afternoon fixtures but the source believes that it was not just the broadcasters who had faced that issue. The source added that even franchises had a problem in getting spectators for the afternoon games. So, it was best that they got rid of the afternoon games and focused on one game a day.

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