IPL 2022 Groups, Schedule and Format Announced: MI, KKR in Group A; CSK, RCB in Group B
The BCCI announced the Groups, format and schedule for IPL 2022 on Friday. Here is all you need to know about the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League that will consist of 10 teams.
How many matches in IPL 2022?
A total of 74 matches will be held in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), with 70 of those scheduled during the league stage. Four teams will qualify for the playoffs, where an Eliminator will be held either side of two Qualifiers ahead of the competition final.
When will IPL 2022 Start and end?
The BCCI and IPL governing council officially announced on Friday (February 24) that the IPL 2022 will kick-off on March 26 and run until May 29.
Which Venues will host IPL 2022 Matches?
The Indian board has finalised the Mumbai-Pune bubble for the IPL 2022, keeping in mind the Covid-19 pandemic and the need to limit air travel.
The league stage comprising 70 games has been equally divided across four venues, namely Wankhede Stadium (20 matches), DY Patil Stadium (20), the Brabourne Stadium (15) and the MCA International Stadium in Pune (15).
To keep things fair, teams have been pre-informed they will play 4 matches each at the Wankhede Stadium and DY Patil Stadium, with three games apiece scheduled for the Brabourne Stadium and MCA Stadium in Pune.
What is the format for IPL 2022?
10 IPL franchises, including the two new sides Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans, have been divided into two different groups of five each. Teams will play twice with their fellow group rivals, as well as one team from the other group and play once game each against the remaining four teams.
The groups and the format for IPL 2022 has been finalised by the BCCI and IPL governing council.
IPL 2022 Groups
How were the Groups decided?
The IPL governing council has also been transparent in declaring how the groups for IPL 2022 were finalised. There was much conjecture of how the 10 teams will be divided into fairly balanced groups. The BCCI and IPL have decided to factor in the number of titles won and number of finals reached historically.
JUST IN: IPL 2022 groups decided.
Teams play a total of 14 league matches (7 home matches and 7 away matches) totalling to 70 league matches, followed by 4 playoff matches. Each team will play 5 teams twice & remaining 4 teams only once (2 only home & 2 only away).#IPL2022 pic.twitter.com/sgQauifSRY
— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) February 25, 2022
Consequently, Mumbai Indians (MI) the five-time champions have found their place in a different group to that of four-time winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Joining MI in Group A are two-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), inaugural IPL champions Rajasthan Royals (RR), one-time finalists Delhi Capitals (DC) and new entrants Lucknow Super Giants.
The other new franchise Gujarat Titans are placed along with CSK in Group B, where the other three teams are 2016 champions Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), three-time finalists Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and one-time finalists Punjab Kings (PBKS).
Which Teams from opposing groups are going to play twice against each other?
Historic title wins and finals reached are also a big factor in arranging the criss-cross double clashes. To add interest and excitement, the BCCI have confirmed that the most equally successful sides will face each other in the return fixtures for different groups. It has meant that MI are set to lock horns with CSK twice in the competition, with KKR-SRH, RCB-RR and DC-PBKS being the other confirmed alt-group clashes. New franchises LSG and GT will also take on each other twice despite being placed in different groups.