BCCI unveiled the remainder of fixtures for IPL 2021 in the UAE, which will start on September 19 with Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians taking on MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings. In total, there will be 31 matches spread through 27 days. 

The Super Kings will come back on the same shores where they had their worst IPL campaign and finished second last in the previous edition. However, they have bobbed back this season to be set second, with five wins out of seven matches. 

The preliminary match of the second leg will be followed by Royal Challengers Bangalore taking on the Kolkata Knight Riders. Just like Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore are also in the race for playoffs, and are currently placed third. Knight Riders, on the other hand, need a streak of wins to secure their place for playoffs. 

Indian Premier League will be held across three venues: Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi. Dubai will host 13 matches including the first qualifier (October 10) of the playoffs, and the final on October 15. Sharjah will host the first game between Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore on September 24, and is also slated for the second qualifier on October 11 and the eliminator on October 13. Among the 10 matches, Abu Dhabi will host eight matches. 

There will be seven double matches during the UAE leg. The timing will be the same as usual, afternoon matches will start at 3:30pm while evening games will start at 7:30pm IST. 

The BCCI’s top brass, president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah, were in the UAE last week to finish arrangements for the competition. 

The IPL was postponed in May due to the rise in infections because of COVID-19 in which several team members and staff got infected, as a devastating second wave that hit India pretty badly. 

The tournament will be followed by BCCI hosting T20 World Cup, also in UAE, from October 17.