Preity Zinta looks forward to IPL 2021 in India, says 'bio bubbles are a herculean task'

Preity Zinta on Sunday took to her Twitter handle to thank BCCI for hosting IPL in India this year. The IPL 2021 will run from April 9 to May 30 across six venues with no team getting to play at home, its Governing Council announced on Sunday. Despite COVID-19 surge, Mumbai has been named as one of the host cities and the tournament will be held behind closed doors at least in the initial phase of the tournament. 

The other venues are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, and Kolkata. The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will host the final on May 30 as well as the play-offs. The previous edition was played in the UAE amid the pandemic but since then the COVID-19 situation has improved drastically in India.

Preity wrote, "IPL schedule is finally here & @PunjabKingsIPL starts #IPL2021 in amchi Mumbai then travels to Chennai, Ahmedabad & Bangalore for our league matches. It’s a weird feeling that no teams will play any matches at their home venues & there will be no crowds in the stadiums as of now. I must say I’m extremely grateful to the @BCCI for making IPL happen in India this year & for taking all precautions to keep everyone safe by keeping only 4 venues 4 each team. Bio bubbles are a Herculean task but together we can & we will work towards a safe n fantastic #IPL2021." [sic]

IPL 2021: Starts April 9, no home games, no crowds 

Defending champions Mumbai Indians will face Royal Challengers Bangalore in the tournament opener in Chennai on April 9. As on Sunday, the BCCI's released schedule for the first four weeks till May 6 during which 33 matches will be played and not a single game has been slotted in Kolkata during the phase as there will be an eight-phase state assembly elections in Bengal.

Each team is set to play at four venues during the league stage. Out of the 56 league matches, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bengaluru will host 10 matches each while Ahmedabad and Delhi will host eight matches each. "One of the highlights of this edition of the VIVO IPL 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," read an IPL statement.

There will be a total of 11 doubleheaders where six teams will play three-afternoon matches and two teams will play two-afternoon matches. The afternoon games are slated for a 3:30 PM start while the evening games will have a 7:30 PM start.

Mohammed Azharuddeen shares the text he got from Virat Kohli after IPL 2021 auction

IPL 2021 likely to begin on April 9, final on May 30; BCCI zeroes down on 5 cities

(With PTI inputs)