There has been a change in the tournament’s playing conditions.
The organizers have finalized the venues for the IPL playoffs this year. The final and the second qualifier will be held at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the playoff venues on Tuesday.
The first qualifier will take place on May 29 at the New PCA Stadium in Mohali. The eliminator match will be played the following day at the same venue.
The second qualifier is scheduled for June 1 in Ahmedabad, which will also host the eighteenth edition’s final on June 3.
Initially, the playoff matches were planned to be held in Hyderabad and Kolkata, with the final set for May 25 at Eden Gardens. However, after the tournament was suspended for a week due to the India-Pakistan conflict and then resumed, the organizers revised their plans.
The venue for the last group stage match has also been changed. On May 27, Royal Challengers Bangalore, led by Virat Kohli, were supposed to face Lucknow Super Giants at their home ground in Bangalore. Now, the match will be held in Lucknow on the same day.
This change was made due to adverse weather conditions. Last Saturday, the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Bangalore was washed out by rain.
Considering the rain impact, Kohli’s team will now play their last two group matches in Lucknow. On Friday, they will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad there.
In light of the weather disruptions, the playing conditions have also been revised. Previously, if rain delayed the start of a match, there was a one-hour window to wait for the full 20 overs. That waiting period has now been extended to two hours. This new rule will apply from Tuesday onwards for the remaining nine group stage matches. The same rule was already in place for the playoffs.
So far, three teams have secured their spots in the playoffs: Bangalore, Gujarat Titans, and Punjab Kings. The final spot in the top four will be contested between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians.
