NEW DELHI: The remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be played between May 17 and June 3 across six venues, the country’s cricket board announced Monday.
The T20 tournament was paused last week due to clashes between India and Pakistan, but the Board of Control for Cricket in India has decided to stage the 17 outstanding matches following a ceasefire agreement.
“After extensive consultations with government and security agencies, and with all the key stakeholders, the board has decided to proceed with the remainder of the season,” the BCCI said in a statement.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will host defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday followed by one of two double-headers Sunday.
Jaipur, Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai and Ahmedabad are the other host cities for the remaining league phase matches.
The venues for the four play-off ties, including the final on June 3, will be announced later.
The original hosts for the playoffs were Hyderabad and Kolkata, with the final at Eden Gardens on May 25.
The first qualifier will now be on May 29, followed by the eliminator on May 30. The second qualifier is slated for June 1 and the final two days later.
Nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan had called a halt to hostilities on Saturday.
The IPL was suspended for a week last Friday, a day after a match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals was abandoned in Dharamsala, less than 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the northern city of Jammu, where explosions were reported hours earlier.
A special train was arranged for players to return to Delhi on Friday as airspace was closed, while overseas stars began to head home on Saturday.
