Sourav Ganguly said that home and away games will return
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has said that the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) will return to its pre-Covid status. Since the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, the IPL has been held in only a few closed venues, namely Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. In 2021, the tournament was held in four venues namely Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Chennai. However, the league will return to its old format following the pandemic, in which each team will play one home and one away match.
The next season of the men’s IPL will also revert to the home and away format, with all ten teams playing their home matches at their designated venues,” Ganguly clarified in a letter to state units. The BCCI will hold a full domestic season for the first time since 2020, and all multi-day tournaments will return to the traditional home and away format. The women’s IPL is expected to start early next year.
The BCCI also plans to hold the inaugural edition of the much-awaited women’s IPL early next year. PTI had reported last month that the tournament will be held in March following the Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa. BCCI is working on the much awaited Women’s IPL. We hope to start the season early next year,” Ganguly said in the September 20 letter.
Women’s IPL is expected to raise the standard of women’s cricket in India. Apart from women’s IPL, BCCI is also starting a girls’ under-15 ODI tournament. ”We are happy to introduce Girls U15 One Day Tournament from this season. Women’s cricket has seen unprecedented growth worldwide and our national team is performing well. This new tournament will create an avenue for our girls to play at national and international levels,” Ganguly said. The Under-15 women’s first match will be held from December 26 to January 12 at five venues – Bangalore, Ranchi, Rajkot, Indore, Raipur and Pune.
