Rohit's MI take on Dhoni's CSK in tournament opener as BCCI announces schedule for IPL 2020

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the schedule for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 on Tuesday.

Reigning champions Mumbai Indians will take on MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the opening match on March 29 at the Wankhede Stadium and the last league match will also feature Mumbai Indians, who take on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on May 17.

The final is scheduled to be played on May 24. The press release from the IPL stated that for the first time, the season will comprise only six afternoon matches, while the tournament will span for the duration of 57 days. This means, there are no doubleheaders on Saturdays in the upcoming 13th edition of the IPL. In fact, the final weekend of the league stage does not have doubleheaders at all.

The Indian cricket board has revealed the fixtures for only the group stage, while they will announce the venue and dates for the playoffs later on.

After the conclusion of the group stage, the top four teams in the points table will progress to the playoffs. The first and second-ranked sides take on each other in the Qualifier 1 match. The winner goes straight to the final. The third and fourth-ranked team in the points table play the Eliminator fixture. The winner of the game faces off against the loser of Qualifier 1 and the side that triumphs books a place in the final.

The defending champions, Mumbai Indians have won a record four IPL titles (2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019), while CSK (2010, 2011 and 2018) and Kolkata Knight Riders (2012 and 2014) come next in the list with three and two trophies respectively. The likes of Rajasthan Royals (2008) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (@016) have won the tournament once. Meanwhile, Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Capitals and Virat Kohli's RCB are yet to taste success in the IPL.