IPL All Star match to take place on March 25 in Mumbai

The Indian Premier League is just over a month away and it continues to stay in the headlines for a variety of reasons. From getting the finalisation of schedule delayed to the staging of the All-Star game ahead of the tournament, the euphoria is starting to pick up. The inaugural match of the 13th edition will see defending champions Mumbai Indians lock horns with last years runners-up on March 29th.

The apex cricketing body– the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)– will meet in New Delhi to finalise and approve the domestic schedule for the calendar year 2020-21. The schedule of the 2020 IPL is also awaiting final approval; the reasons for the delay being the PIL filed in a Jaipur Court against Rajasthan Royals matches to be held in Guwahati and of-course the staging of the All Star game on March 25.

The IPL All Star game was announced by the BCCI President Sourav Ganguly last month. The game- which is set to be an annual affair- will see franchises belonging to the South and West part of India- Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad lock horn with the players belonging to the North-East based franchises- Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Capitals.

BCCI to send four Indian players for Asia XI vs World XI

Meanwhile, the BCCI has also decided to send four Indian players for the upcoming Asia XI vs World XI fixtures, slated to be held in Bangladesh on March 18 and 21 in Dhaka. The apex cricketing body will decide the name of the players and intimate the franchises.

Last February Justice DK Jain, who doubled up as the board’s ethics officer, was appointed the first-ever ombudsman on a year term where he oversaw the conflict of interest allegations against high-profile cricketers like  Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Kapil Dev among others.

It will be intriguing to see if Jain gets an extension or whether someone else is appointed. Questions have been raised in the past as to whether the apex council has the authority fo appointing an ombudsman and ethics officer or if it has to be done only at the Annual General Meeting.

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