Ahmedabad to host IPL final in revised schedule

NEW DELHI: The Indian Premier League final will be played in Ahmedabad, the country’s cricket board said Tuesday as it announced the venues for the playoffs of the T20 tournament.

The IPL resumed last Saturday after being paused due to the conflict between India and Pakistan, forcing a revised schedule with the final now taking on June 3 — nine days later than initially planned.

Mullanpur, in New Chandigarh, will host the first qualifier and eliminator on May 29 and May 30.

The world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad will host the second qualifier on June 1 followed by the final two days later in the 18th edition of the IPL.

“The new venues for the Playoffs were decided by the IPL Governing Council keeping in mind the weather conditions and other parameters,” the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said.

Hyderabad and Kolkata were initially supposed to host the last four games before the tournament was paused for a week and restarted after the ceasefire.

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The tournament has grown into the world’s richest cricket league since its inaugural season in 2008 and has added billions to the Indian economy and the BCCI.

Meanwhile, Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant said injuries had derailed his side’s Indian Premier League campaign after they were eliminated from the playoffs race with a six-wicket defeat by Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday.

Lucknow made 205 but allowed their opponents to chase down the total in 18.2 overs, leaving them with only pride to play for in their remaining two matches against Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

The prolonged absence of key players, including pace bowlers Mohsin Khan and Mayank Yadav, stalled Lucknow’s momentum this year, while Pant also faced plenty of criticism for his dismal form with the bat after managing just 135 runs in 12 matches.