When will Tata IPL 2022 begin? BCCI, broadcasters have THESE dates in mind

Soon after the mega auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, the date to start the mega event is on everyone's mind. While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had initially decided March 27 as the start, broadcasters, Disney Star are having varying views. The BCCI is believed to be considering if the broadcaster's demand to start the cash-rich tournament by a day should be acceded to. With no proper start date yet is one of the reasons the BCCI has not yet shared the schedule of the league so far.

According to Cricbuzz, Star has been insisting on a Saturday start stating it will set the momentum for the league with a double header on March 27, a Sunday, which, otherwise, could not be possible. This could also mean that on Monday (March 28), there cannot be a double-header unless it is a national holiday. 

"We understand that a Saturday start helps the broadcaster to kick-start the league with a bang with three matches in the first weekend. A Sunday inauguration would not permit that. The BCCI and the broadcasters were in discussion over this and eventually, it could be on March 26," a franchise official had revealed. 

While the BCCI has promised to come back to the franchises about the schedule and venue by February 20, the new development is understood to have been delayed.

Talking about the commentators for the league, Star has asked them to be ready from March 19 to June 7. "At the onset, wanted to check with you on your availability for IPL 2022 on the world feed broadcast. So request you to please provide your availability not only for the tournament but probably say minus 8-10 days from the start date and plus five days from the end date to be safe, so effectively from 19th March 2022 to say June 7, 2022 (sic)," the mail says.

Venues for Tata IPL 2022:

While the dates are not yet out, even the venues to host the league is not yet confirmed. The BCCI has not formally announced the venues and there have been some discussions if the league can be spread across more venues considering the Covid threat to the league has considerably reduced. However, there is a likelihood that the BCCI will settle for Maharashtra (Mumbai and Pune) as the main venue.

According to this, the four grounds would be - the Wankhede, the Brabourne, DY Patil Stadium Navi Mumbai and Pune ground - where the matches can be played. However, the challenge for the BCCI and the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) has been to provide practice facilities for the 10 IPL teams.