Back in India, IPL 2021 shrugs off pandemic effect with multiple venues

After a highly successful season held amid the global pandemic last year, and that too outside India, the 14^th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will kick off from April 9, 2021, with the opening match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore and will be played in Chennai. The tournament will conclude with the finals being played on May 30, 2021. The world’s largest cricket stadium, Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, will host the playoffs as well as the finals. Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata will host the marquee event in the 14^th edition.

Vivo returns as the title sponsor in 2021, after stepping down last year amid the hugely negative sentiments following the India-China clashes as Chinese troops intruded into Indian territory in Ladakh. Dream11 had stepped in as the title sponsor for IPL 2020.

Each team is set to play at four venues during the league stage. Out of the 56 league matches, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru will host 10 matches each, while Ahmedabad and Delhi will host 8 matches each. One of the highlights of Vivo IPL 2021 will be the fact that all matches will be played at neutral venues, no team will play at their home venue. All teams will play at 4 out of 6 venues during the league stage.

There will be a total of 11 double headers, where 6 teams will play three afternoon matches and two teams will play two afternoon matches. The afternoon games are slated for a 3:30 pm start, while the evening games will begin from 7:30 pm. BCCI also stated that the fixtures of the tournament have been drawn up in such a manner that every team will travel only three times during the league stage that goes on till May 23.

The complete fixtures for VIVO IPL 2021 can be accessed by clicking HERE.

“After hosting the tournament safely and successfully in the UAE last year with all safety protocols in place, the BCCI is confident of hosting the IPL at home with health and safety of players and all people involved being paramount,” BCCI said in a release. BCCI has also confirmed that the tournament will begin behind closed doors given the pandemic situation, and a call on letting spectators in will be taken at a later stage.

Brands are already gearing up to be a part of this mega sporting extravaganza – being a part of the tournament as well as the individual IPL franchise teams. Apart from Vivo, Safari, Dream11, Unacademy, and Cred are already on board as the official partners for IPL 2021, along with Paytm as the Umpire partner and CEAT as the official Strategic Timeout Partner. Star Sports continues as the official broadcaster, while Disney+ Hotstar is the official digital streaming partner. More advertisers will join the tournament in the coming days.

DHL Express has come on board as the Principal Sponsor and Official Logistics Partner for the 5-time IPL champion Mumbai Indians. This partnership with Mumbai Indians marks DHL Express’ first-ever T20 cricket sponsorship globally.

Commenting on the partnership, RS Subramanian, Senior VP and MD, DHL Express India, said, “Globally, DHL supports some of the world’s largest and most popular sports formats – from football to rugby, Formula One and even e-sports. Today marks our foray into another crowd favourite: T20 Cricket. Cricket is a game that is well-loved and followed with ardent devotion in India, and many nations across the world. It, therefore, gives me great pleasure to come on board as a Principal Sponsor and Official Logistics Partner for Mumbai Indians.”

A Mumbai Indians spokesperson added here, “We are delighted to partner with a global brand like DHL Express. The combination of DHL Express’ international market network, and Mumbai Indians’ global fan following, brings in a unique dimension to our partner association programme, allowing both brands to leverage its vast consumer interface. We are proud of the fact that global brands such as DHL Express see Mumbai Indians as their preferred partner. It is testament to the trust that our club has earned and established through continued on-field success in conjunction with strong brand ideology.”