IPL 15: 25% crowd allowed inside stadiums

The 15th edition of the Indian Premier League, which is set to begin in Mumbai on Saturday, will witness 25 per cent crowd attendance in stadiums, the organisers said on Wednesday.

The lucrative league gets underway at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday with defending champions Chennai Super Kings taking on Kolkata Knight Riders.

”This match will be a momentous occasion as the 15th edition of the IPL will welcome fans back to the stadiums after a brief hiatus owing to the pandemic,” an IPL release stated.

”The matches will be played across stadiums in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai & Pune with an audience occupancy rate of 25% as per COVID-19 protocols,” the release added.

With the addition of two new teams — Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans — the IPL will have 74 matches this season, with 70 of them being played at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium and Brabourne Stadium along with Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil ground and MCA International Stadium in Pune.

As many as 20 games each will be held at Wankhede and DY Patil, while 15 each will be hosted at Brabourne and MCA International stadium, Pune.

The IPL returns to India after about a year. In 2021, the league was played behind closes doors across a few venues in India but was suspended mid-way in May after multiple COVID-19 cases were reported in its bio-bubble. The remaining matches were then played in the UAE in September-October.

The 2020 edition of the league was also played in the UAE.

The tickets for the league phase will go on sale from Wednesday and can be purchased from the league’s official website www.iplt20.com. or from on www.BookMyShow.com.