Delhi Capitals will not be playing their first two home fixtures at Arun Jaitely Cricket Stadium as the venue will not be ready to host the matches.
The Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) has written a mail to the BCCI and the matches will be shifted to Pune and Cuttack, respectively. The IPL schedule will be announced later in the evening on Thursday.
The Indian Express has learned that the DDCA decided to move the fixture out of the venue as they will host 11 Women’s Premier League (WPL) matches within 13 days in the second leg of the tournament.
“Delhi’s first two games will be moved to Pune and Cuttack, we have informed the BCCI about it,” a DDCA official told The Indian Express.
“The reason is WPL. We will be hosting a total of 11 matches in two weeks and with IPL starting from March 22 the first IPL match in Delhi was supposed to take place on March 24, so we don’t have enough time to prepare pitches. The BCCI has agreed to shift the first two matches and has also given us some breathing space,” he said.
Even during the Ranji Trophy, the DDCA has struggled to find venues to host the matches. They had to shift three of their home matches so that they could prepare the pitches for the WPL.
Delhi’s match against Uttarakhand was moved to IS Bindra PCA Stadium from Roshanara Club after it was sealed by the DDA (Delhi Development Authority) after its lease expired in September last year. They have played their next two home matches against Baroda and Odisha at Palam and Jamia Millia Islamia University Cricket Ground.
“We have been struggling with the venues in this season. Out of four home matches, we have played one match at the Arun Jaitely Stadium. The matches against Baroda and Odisha were moved as we’re preparing pitches for the WPL and now we are facing the same issue with the IPL,” said the official.
The 17th edition of the IPL will be played in its entirety in India amidst the general elections, IPL chairman Arun Dhumal has told this newspaper. The league chairman also shared that the schedule of the first 15 days will be announced initially, while the roster for the remaining games shall be announced once the dates for the general elections are official.