The bosses of the money-spinning Indian Premier League announced a schedule for the fourth edition of the troubled cricket tournament on Wednesday, setting April 8 as the start date. The IPL, which revolutionised cricket when it burst onto the scene in 2008, had faced uncertainty after being hit by allegations of corruption, money-laundering and tax evasion, as well as ties to the criminal underworld.
The new governing council of the event, minus the ousted former head of the tournament, Lalit Modi, met in Mumbai on Wednesday and announced the dates and a new format. Play will begin on April 8 and end on May 22, with a players' auction to be held on January 8 and 9 in Mumbai, N. Srinivasan, the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said.
His statement made no mention of franchise disputes, but specified that only eight teams would participate in the league, which combines short, high-octane matches with Bollywood sparkle and brash advertising. "There will be a total of 60 matches, played by eight teams," Srinivasan said in a press release.
Two of the original eight franchises, the Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab, were expelled from the league last month for not declaring changes in their ownership structures. A new franchise from Kochi in southern India has also faced problems clarifying its ownership structure. In changes to the format of play, the committee tweaked the design of the finals to eliminate the two semi-final games.
The two top sides will play, with the winner advancing to the final. The loser of this game will have another chance to qualify for the final by playing the winner of a third-versus-fourth clash. Lalit Modi, the IPL's founder, was thrown out of the sport by the BCCI in September over accusations about his conduct.
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