IPL to begin on April 7 in Mumbai

The 11th edition of the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) will be held from April 7 to May 27, the IPL governing council said today.

Mumbai will host the opening match and the final of the cash-rich T20 tournament.

The IPL governing council also decided to shift the start times of the matches, which in earlier editions were scheduled for 4pm and 8pm.


"The broadcasters requested for a change in timings and the IPL governing council in principal has accepted it," IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla said. "Live broadcast of the 8pm game will be shifted to 7pm, while the 4pm games will be played at 5:30pm."

Kings XI Punjab will play four of their home games in Mohali and three in Indore, while the home matches of Rajasthan Royals, who are returning to the IPL after serving a two-year ban, will be decided after the Rajasthan High court's hearing on January 24.

A total of 578 players including 360 Indians will go under the hammer in this year's IPL auction in Bengaluru on January 27 and 28.