The 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will reportedly be played in India only. The BCCI is likely to stage the tournament across different centres in Maharashtra. As per ANI, Wankhede Stadium, Cricket Club of India (CCI), DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai & Pune will be the likely venues of the tournament.

The report in ANI also adds that the fans won’t be allowed in the stands. The recent India-New Zealand series was played in front of fans. But they won’t be able to witness the live IPL action from the stands.

Should the BCCI stage the complete tournament in India, it will be for the first time since 2019 when IPL will be completely played in the country. The complete season of IPL 2020 had to be shited to UAE due to the COVID-19 situation in the country. In 2021, the BCCI could only stage half of the matches in India as the COVID-19 breached IPL’s bio-bubble. The 2nd half of the tournament was played in UAE.

As per a report in The Times of India, the BCCI is also keeping South Africa as a backup option. The 2nd edition of the T20 league was played in SA due to General Elections in India.

Another report in Cricbuzz suggests that the board is contemplating kicking off the tournament from March 27. Team India’s busy home season will end on March 18. An official announcement regarding the venues and start date is likely to be made later today (January 22).

Meanwhile, the apex board has released the list of 1214 players who have registered for the IPL 2022 auction. The list includes 270 capped, 903 uncapped and 41 players from associate nations.

As many as 17 Indian players have set their base price at Rs 2 crore. Former India pacer S Sreesanth has set his base price at Rs 50 lakh. The mega auction for the upcoming season will take place on February 12 and 13.