Kolkata to kick off defence on April 3
IPL 2013 schedule announced; final to take place on May 26.
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders will launch IPL 2013 at home against Delhi Daredevils on April 3 next year.
Debutants Sunrisers Hyderabad, who joined the IPL in October, will begin their stint with a home game against Pune Warriors India two days later. The tournament will be played in the same format as the 2012 edition. Each of the nine participating teams will play the other eight twice - at home and away – and the top four teams at the end of the round-robin stage will qualify for the playoffs.
The Qualifier 1 and Eliminator games will be played in Chennai – the home ground of the IPL 2012 runner-up – while the Qualifier 2 encounter and the Final will be played at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata – the home ground of the IPL 2012 winners.
As many as eleven venues have been confirmed to host the matches. Apart from the nine home venues, matches will be played at two arenas that will be making their One-Day International debuts in January 2013. The last two ‘home’ games of the Kings XI Punjab will be played at the HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala, which has hosted seven IPL matches since 2010. The Jharkhand State Cricket Association International Stadium Complex at Ranchi, will host the last two ‘home’ games of the Kolkata Knight Riders.
“We are poised to witness a competition that will be as, if not more, spectacular, than its predecessors,” said IPL Chairman Rajiv Shukla. “The greatest cricketers on this planet will join forces with the stars of the future, to deliver some exhilarating cricket for their respective teams. The teams will play hard, but fair, and the most consistent of the lot will be crowned the IPL 2013 champion on May 26.”
Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2012.
Debutants Sunrisers Hyderabad, who joined the IPL in October, will begin their stint with a home game against Pune Warriors India two days later. The tournament will be played in the same format as the 2012 edition. Each of the nine participating teams will play the other eight twice - at home and away – and the top four teams at the end of the round-robin stage will qualify for the playoffs.
The Qualifier 1 and Eliminator games will be played in Chennai – the home ground of the IPL 2012 runner-up – while the Qualifier 2 encounter and the Final will be played at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata – the home ground of the IPL 2012 winners.
As many as eleven venues have been confirmed to host the matches. Apart from the nine home venues, matches will be played at two arenas that will be making their One-Day International debuts in January 2013. The last two ‘home’ games of the Kings XI Punjab will be played at the HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala, which has hosted seven IPL matches since 2010. The Jharkhand State Cricket Association International Stadium Complex at Ranchi, will host the last two ‘home’ games of the Kolkata Knight Riders.
“We are poised to witness a competition that will be as, if not more, spectacular, than its predecessors,” said IPL Chairman Rajiv Shukla. “The greatest cricketers on this planet will join forces with the stars of the future, to deliver some exhilarating cricket for their respective teams. The teams will play hard, but fair, and the most consistent of the lot will be crowned the IPL 2013 champion on May 26.”
Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2012.