NEW DELHI: The money-spinning Indian Premier League will begin on March 22 with holders Kolkata Knight Riders to host Royal Challengers Bengaluru, India’s cricket board said Sunday.
Kolkata’s iconic Eden Gardens will be the venue for the opener and the final on May 25 with 74 matches to be played across 13 venues in the 18th edition of the hugely popular T20 tournament.
Ten teams will compete for the title as the world’s top cricketers including Indian star Virat Kohli, Australia’s Pat Cummins and Jos Buttler of England will join their respective teams in India’s searing heat.
The IPL auction for this edition shattered records as Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player when he was sold for a record $3.2 million to Lucknow Super Giants, who later made him captain.
Shreyas Iyer, a title-winning skipper with Kolkata last season, was picked by Punjab Kings for 267.5 million rupees ($3.17 million) as the second-most expensive buy.
The IPL has generated billions in revenue since its inception in 2008, turning the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) into one of the richest governing bodies in sport.
The pioneering IPL helped make T20 cricket more popular, spawning copycat events worldwide.
India’s IPL to begin on March 22 at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens
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India’s IPL to begin on March 22 at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens
- The iconic Eden Gardens will be the venue for the tournament’s final on May 25, with 74 matches to be played across 13 venues
- The IPL auction for this edition shattered records as Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player
Nigeria’s Chukwueze calls for AFCON to get same respect as World Cup
- “Everybody wants to play in AFCON. It’s one of the best competitions in the world,” Chukwueze told On Sports TV
Nigeria forward Samuel Chukwueze believes the Africa Cup of Nations should be given the same level of respect as the World Cup and the European Championship following controversy over the timing of the tournament in Morocco.
Initially scheduled to take place in the summer, this year’s AFCON was scheduled for December 21-January 18, depriving leading European clubs of key players participating in it at a crucial stage of the domestic season. “Everybody wants to play in AFCON. It’s one of the best competitions in the world,” Chukwueze told On Sports TV. “You have to respect the AFCON the same way you respect the European Championship or World Cup.”
The Fulham winger will miss six games for his club if Nigeria reach the round of 16.
“We understand they scheduled it at the wrong time of the year, but when it’s important, if you get recalled you have to go,” he said. “You don’t have any choice, your club can’t stop you and no one should say anything bad about the AFCON. Yes, they put it at the wrong time, but saying it’s not a good competition or a great competition is unacceptable.”
Chukwueze helped Nigeria secure an opening 2-1 win over Tanzania in Group C ahead of their second game against Tunisia on Saturday.
