IPL franchises unhappy over Mumbai Indians playing at the Wankhede Stadium - Reports
Several IPL franchises have reportedly objected to the idea of Mumbai Indians playing at the Wankhede Stadium. The iconic stadium in Mumbai serves as the home ground for the five-time winners of the competition.
The 2022 edition of the IPL is slated to be held in the state of Maharashtra, with Mumbai and Pune hosting the matches. The majority of the contests will take place in Mumbai across its three stadiums. The franchises want to see the Mumbai Indians' matches being scheduled accordingly without any undue home advantage.
An IPL franchise official told the Times Of India:
"None of the other teams are getting home matches. It will be unfair if MI play a lot of their matches at Wankhede, which has been their den for years. The franchises have raised this concern. The franchises don't have an issue with Mumbai Indians play bulk of their matches at DY Patil stadium and in Pune. Even the Brabourne stadium is fine. Hopefully, the BCCI will look into the matter."
IPL 2022 League Matches (Reported by Cricbuzz):
- 55 matches at Wankhede, Brabourne and DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai.
- 15 matches at MCA Stadium in Pune.
Mumbai Indians have a formidable record at the Wankhede over the years. The five-time winners have used the conditions to good effect to make the venue a fortress. The dew factor, the extra bounce and the short boundaries have been responsible for the way the franchise shapes their squad.
The Wankhede Stadium. DY Patil Stadium and the Brabourne Stadium have been identified as the venues in Mumbai for the 15th edition of the IPL. The governing body has also shortlisted the Reliance Cricket Stadium and the Bandra Kurla Complex as venues for practice and training sessions.
IPL 2022 could see a limited number of spectators
The last two editions of the tournament have been played largely behind closed doors. Moreover, India has only hosted a small fragment of matches due to the vulnerable pandemic situation in the country.
The BCCI are considering the possibility of allowing a limited number of spectators for the matches if the number of cases continues to decline. On Wednesday, Mumbai recorded their least number of cases since April 2020, this potentially serves as a boost for the competition to be held with the presence of spectators.
A BCCI official said:
"Air travel of so many teams is the biggest threat of an outbreak. BCCI doesn't really want to take chances. The first objective is to complete the league in time in India. No one can predict when another wave may start."
IPL 2022 likely to have 25% of crowd in the ground depending on the COVID-19 situation in India. (Source - TOI)
The 2022 IPL is expected to begin on either March 26 or 27. For the first time since 2011, the competition will involve ten franchises in the tournament.