Picture Credit: Twitter/IPL
The Indian Premier League 2022 is underway with the presence of crowds in the stadium. At present, only 25% crowd has been allowed until April 15 by the Maharashtra state government.
However, the return of fans served as a welcome step after a hiatus of 2 editions. The entire Indian Premier League 2020 was played in the United Arab Emirates. While India served as the host venue for Phase 1 of the 2021 edition. But the transmission of Covid cases in the team camps put a break on the tournament, and the action of the remaining matches resumed in UAE.
In the latest news development, Veteran cricket journalist K Shriniwas Rao posted a tweet and has given hint on BCCI planning to increase crowd capacity to 65-70% across all the venues of IPL 2022. With the Covid cases on a downward trajectory in India, the move is expected to be announced in a matter of a few days. Adding to that, only the tickets of matches scheduled till April 15 are available on the Book My Show website.
After allowing the crowds to have presence in the stadium, a statement of BCCI on the IPL 2022 opening fixture between CSK and KKR in a press release read, "This match will be a momentous occasion as the 15th edition of the IPL will welcome fans back to the stadiums after a brief hiatus owing to the pandemic."
"The matches will be played across stadiums in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai & Pune with an audience occupancy rate of 25% as per COVID-19 protocols," the release added.
A total of 20 matches have been scheduled to take place in venues like Wankhede Stadium and DY Patil Stadium. While the likes of Brabourne Stadium and MCA Stadium in Pune will host 15 matches each. The crowds are expected to erupt in all these venues, if the BCCI allows the crowd capacity to increase, as the tournament progresses.