Once again, the Indian Premier League is upon us and, as always, it’s going to take the cricket world by storm. Nowhere else on the planet will you find such standards of Twenty20 competition, so you might want to tune in if you want your fix of world-class cricket with the biggest and best names.
If you’re a fan of the sport or are looking to get involved with the IPL this year, then it might be wise to catch up on all the information available. You don’t need to know absolutely everything if you don’t want to, but it’s a good idea to get yourself up to speed with the fundamentals and how everything is going to pan out for the months of compelling sport ahead.
Revised 2020 Tournament Start Dates
IPL 2020 to be played from 19th September to 10th November 2020
As you would have expected, the IPL was initially supposed to start a little earlier but was postponed until the global COVID-19 pandemic was dealt with efficiently and sensibly. Due to the climate of the virus still being pretty damaging in India, the competition will instead take place in the United Arab Emirates this year. Matches will be played in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi subject to appropriate and necessary clearances from the Indian Government.
The initial start date was 29th March, but will now begin on 19th September. The tournament will span fifty-three days and will conclude with a climax of a final on 10th November.
Want to know when your team is playing? Check out the full 2020 IPL match schedule to be played in UAE.
The Teams And Significant Changes
This year, the eight sides that will face off for the number one spot will be the Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Overall, twelve changes were made between teams during this window, so a good amount of talking points are around for fans to indulge in. Ravichandran Ashwin moved from Kings XI Punjab to Delhi Capitals in November of 2019. The captaincy was then vacated and passed onto K. L. Rahul. Trent Boult, Akinkya Rahane and Mayank Markande had their salaries increased during the pre-auction trades. Chris Lynn, Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa were the most significant names in the tournament that were released this time around.
Sponsorships And Important Business
Dream11 (Sporta Technologies Pvt. Ltd), a company based in Mumbai, Maharashtra will be the new Title Sponsor of the 2020 Indian Premier League. Dream11’s reputation and association with sports have increased down the years and partnering a total of six Indian Premier League franchises. In terms of their overall grip on the sporting world, they’ve managed to partner up with nineteen general sports leagues.
While business is going well in this world, there has been a slight setback with regards to one of the central sponsors of the league as Future Group has reportedly pulled out at the last minute.
How Can I Watch It?
Typically, IPL fans have been able to watch via many streams, and those will all be available again this year. If you’re in the United Kingdom and are linked up to Sky Sports, then you’re in luck as they’ll have all sixty games for this season and the next two IPLs. You’ll also be able to catch it on Star Gold if you’ve not subscribed to Sky. Star Gold is available on channel 809 for Sky viewers and 801 for those with Virgin Media.
If you wish to stream using an alternative method, then Hotstar can be utilized if you live in the UK or the US. All the IPL games will be broadcast on Willow TV and the Willow TV website which will cost $9.99 a month.
Latest Notable News And Stories
Of course, the most noteworthy piece of news was regarding the postponement due to the worldwide virus, but there have been other affairs leading up to the first match.
As you’d expect, the IPL will be played behind closed doors in order to keep everything sensible during this pandemic. That doesn’t mean the fans cannot get involved, however, as they’ll be using the electronic borders akin to that of the English Premier League football teams. Their reactions and glee will be beamed in from all over the globe!