The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said the venues for the IPL playoffs will be decided in a day or two. "We are working on what could be the appropriate venue for the IPL playoffs and the final. So, we will take another two days' time," BCCI secretary Devjit Saikia said.
Asked if the designated venues - Mullanpur and Bengaluru - by virtue of Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings being the finalists and champions last year, the BCCI secretary refused to dwell on the topic. "You can keep guessing, but I am not going to give you a reply. We will take a call in two days' time," he said.
There is some talk that the two obvious venues may not necessarily be awarded the playoffs - particularly Mullanpur, which hosted Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator out of turn in last year's war-hit season. Those matches were originally scheduled to be played in Hyderabad, as Sunrisers Hyderabad were the finalists, but owing to logistical and weather-related factors, they were shifted to the stadium in New Chandigarh.
Similarly, the Eden in Kolkata was originally slated to host the final, but the schedule was disrupted due to Operation Sindoor. With the onset of the monsoon, the BCCI moved Qualifier 2 and the final to the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The BCCI is yet to release the playoff schedule of the current season except stating that the season will end on May 31. It is likely that the last four matches will be held on May 26 (Qualifier 1), May 27 (Eliminator), May 29 (Qualifier 2) and May 31 (final).
