NEW DELHI: The Indian Premier League (IPL) will resume in the UAE on September 19, more than four months after it was suspended due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, officials said on Sunday.

“A total number of 31 matches will be played in the duration of 27 days,” said a statement by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). “The 14th season, which was postponed in May this year in the wake of the pandemic, will resume on 19th September in Dubai with a blockbuster clash between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians.”

The event was only half finished when it was halted in India on May 4 after a number of players and team officials caught coronavirus despite being in bio-secure bubbles.

Under the new schedule, 13 matches will be held in Dubai, 10 in Sharjah and eight in Abu Dhabi.

The final will be staged in Dubai on Oct 15, just two days before the rescheduled Twenty20 World Cup gets underway, also in the Gulf.

In the new-look IPL, there will be seven double headers, while the final game of the league stage will be played between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals on Oct 8.

The first qualifier will be played in Dubai on Oct 10 with the eliminator qualifier 2 to be played in Sharjah on Oct 11 and 13.

The World T20 was originally meant to take place in Australia at the end of 2020 but it was called off as the pandemic swept across the globe causing widescale lockdowns.

It was then switched to India before it was rescheduled again to be staged in Oman and the United Arab Emirates from Oct 17 to Nov 14.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2021