Mumbai: The Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) has announced the schedule of 12th Indian Premier League, keeping in mind the upcoming general election in the Country. MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings will take on Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore in the inaugural match of the tournament at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, on March 23.
The BCCI releases the schedule only for the first 17 matches, which spreads over 14 days, considering the fact that the Election Commission will announce the election dates around the first week of March. The BCCI will decide on the remaining part of the schedule, including the date of the final, after getting the details of election dates. Spectators might be drawn to the neutral venues this time to watch their local team battling out with the opponents so as to avoid any workload on the security personnel as they will be busy with the election schedule.
"These are still subject to the announcement of the Lok Sabha 2019 election dates. Once these have been released, the BCCI will address any issues with the first two weeks and will also prepare a schedule for the remainder of the season working with the local authorities around the polling dates", an official statement from the IPL said.
If the election commission goes with the previous trends, then the general election will begin between the first and second week of April, across eight or nine phases.
