IPL 2022, which will be held across Mumbai and Pune, will see more than 25 per cent crowd being allowed in each venue.
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The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 extravaganza is set to unfold from March 26, Saturday, with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) crossing swords in the inaugural contest at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. A total number of 70 league matches and four Playoff games will be played in the duration of 65 days. All the matches will be played in Mumbai and Pune with the iconic Wankhede Stadium and DY Patil Stadium holding 20 matches each while Brabourne and MCA International stadium in Pune playing host to 15 fixtures each.
However, as a precautionary measure, to keep Covid-19 in control, the Board of Control For Cricket in India (BCCI) will allow only more than 25 per cent of the total seating capacity per venue during the IPL 2022. The initial permission from the state government might only see one-fourth of the stadium being filled, but as per a report in Cricbuzz, the Indian cricket board is confident of allowing more fans to the lucrative tournament as it progresses.
“That is our understanding. Going forward the stadiums will have more fans than initial games,” an office-bearer of the BCCI told Cricbuzz on Monday. “With Covid cases coming down by the day, we are hoping more people will be in the stands.”
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The pink-ball Test between India and Sri Lanka was played in a full house. The Indian cricket board is confident of crowd presence witnessed during their recent international matches in Kolkata, Dharamsala, Mohali and Bengaluru against the West Indies and Sri Lanka.
“Team India have just wrapped an amazing home run with clean sweep, first over West Indies team and now against the Sri Lankan team. The pink-ball Test in Bengaluru witnessed a full house and the team led by Mr Rohit Sharma outperformed the opponents in all three departments,” BCCI secretary wrote in a letter to the state units.
It is understood that the Wankhede stadium will hold 9,800-10,000 people while its neighbouring Brabourne Stadium, with a capacity of around 28,000, will have up to 7-8,000. The DY Patil Stadium in Nerul could accommodate 11-12,000 fans while the Maharashtra Cricket Stadium in Pune will have an initial fill of 12,000 spectators.
The participants — players, support staff, coaches, umpires, commentators, broadcast crew and others — will undergo strict quarantine rules before heading into the bio-secure environment. It should be noted that separate arrangements will be made for the participants in case they test positive for Covid-19 during the phase of IPL 2022.
