The Indian Premier League (IPL) not only becomes bigger but also interesting with the ten teams divided into two virtual groups according to their past performances, like following a seeding system. Meaning, the most successful side, Mumbai Indians have been given the top billing, followed by Chennai Super Kings. (More Cricket News)
Confirming the IPL 2022 start and final dates, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) on Friday released a statement, saying: "The IPL Governing Council at its meeting held yesterday made the following key decisions regarding the TATA IPL 2022 Season.
"The 15th edition of the Indian Premier League will be played in a bio-secure environment at a single hub to avoid air travel which is considered as a major threat for the spread of COVID-19 infection, thereby affecting the players and the League/matches.
"The tournament will kickstart from 26th March, 2022 and the final will be played on 29th May, 2022.
"A total of 70 league matches will be played across four international standard venues in Mumbai and Pune. The venue for the playoff matches will be decided later."
All teams will play four matches each at Wankhede Stadium and DY Patil Stadium, and three matches each at Brabourne Stadium and MCA ground.
Format
The 10 teams will play a total of 14 league matches (designated seven home matches and seven away matches), followed by the four playoff matches.
Each team will play five teams twice and the remaining four teams only once (two home and two away).
For the uninitiated, this is what the IPL employed in the 2011 edition when Pune Warriors India and Kochi Tuskers Kerala were in the league.
Groups
Sharing an example, the release further added that "To decide on the above, teams have been assigned in two virtual groups based on the number of IPL Championships won followed by the number of Final matches played by the respective teams."
Here's a look at the seeding:
1. Mumbai Indians - won 5 - finals 6
2. Chennai Super Kings - won 4 - finals 9
3. Kolkata Knight Riders - won 2 - finals 3
4. Sunrisers Hyderabad - won 1 - finals 2
5. Rajasthan Royals - won 1 - finals 1
6. Royal Challengers Bangalore - won 0 - finals 3
7. Delhi Capitals - won 0 - finals 1
8. Punjab Kings - won 0 - finals 0
9. Lucknow Super Giants - won 0 - finals 0
10. Gujarat Titans - won 0 - finals 0
And the groups:
Group A: MI, KKR, RR, DC, LSG
Group B: CSK, SHR, RCB, PBKS, GT
For Example: In Group A, Mumbai Indians will play two matches each against Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals, Lucknow Super Giants. MI will also play two matches against CSK and one match each against other teams in Group B.
Similarly, in Group B, Royal Challengers Bangalore will play two matches against Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans. RCB will also play two matches against RR and one match each against other teams in Group A.
The IPL 2022 will start on March 26 and the final will be played on May 29.
