IPL to return to home-away format in 2023: Sourav Ganguly

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly has confirmed that the Indian Premier League (IPL) will return to its original, pre-COVID-19, home-and-away format from the 2023 season.

It must be noted that the IPL has been held at selected venues since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020, the toughest franchise-based league was conducted across three venues in the UAE, namely Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi, while in the 2021 edition, the competition was held across four Indian venues, namely Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and Chennai before being halted mid-way due to the Covid outbreak in several camps. The tournament was resumed later that year in the UAE. 

However, the 2022 season of the IPL was played entirely in India, with the new entrants Gujarat Titans lifting the trophy after defeating the Rajasthan Royals in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.  

"The next season of men's IPL will also go back to the home and away format with all ten teams playing their home matches at their designated venues," read Ganguly's note to state units. 

The BCCI is currently working on the much-awaited women's IPL: Sourav Ganguly 

The BCCI president has also confirmed that the top cricketing body is planning to start the inaugural edition of women's IPL early next year. The former Indian skipper said that more details will follow in due course.  

“The BCCI is currently working on the much-awaited women's IPL. We are expecting to start the first season early next year. More details will follow in the due course," Ganguly wrote in his email, as mentioned in the Times of India. "We are glad to introduce a girl's u-15 tournament from this season.

“Women's cricket has seen phenomenal growth across the world and our national team has been performing well. This new tournament will create a pathway for our girls to play at the international level," the former Indian captain added.