After 9 days of suspension, the BCCI announced the revised schedule of the IPL 2025 tournament. The league was suspended after the 58th match of the tournament in Dharamshala was called off due to tensions between India and Pakistan.
This led to the BCCI suspending the league for one week and when India and Pakistan tensions cooled off, it was announced that the IPL 2025 will resume on May 17, with the final to be played on June 3.
BCCI announced that the remainder of 13 league matches will be played across six venues, while the venues for the four playoff games, including the final, will be announced later. The six venues to be used for the remaining League games are Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
This meant that Eden Gardens of Kolkata, who were set to host the playoffs and the final of the IPL 2025, lost the hosting privileges.
Before the tournament was postponed, the final was scheduled to take place at Eden Gardens on May 25. The updated schedule probably accounts for possible weather delays as well as other practical issues with holding the playoffs and final in Kolkata.
On June 3, the day of the final, AccuWeather forecasts showers and thunderstorms in Kolkata. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), rains will advance to some areas of the Bay of Bengal due to the early onset of the Southwest monsoon.
Additionally, Qualifier 2, which was initially scheduled for KKR's home field, has been moved. Hyderabad, which was slated to host both the elimination round and the first round, has also been released from its obligations.
Despite suspense over the venues for the IPL 2025 playoffs, reports have suggested that the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad has been shortlisted to host Qualifier 2 and the final. As opposed to 65 per cent probability of precipitation at the Kolkata venue, Ahmedabad only stands one-third the likelihood.
(Times of India report)
