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The 15th edition of the Indian T20 League will be taking place from 26 March to 29 May across four venues in Mumbai and Pune. As the tournament is returning to India after a two-year hiatus, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is looking to host fans at the venues to make the games interesting. Initially, the Indian cricket board had said that a 25% crowd will be allowed at the venues. But now it seems that more than 25% crowd will be able to watch the IPL 2022 games live from the stadium.
In the latest report in Cricbuzz, a BCCI official was quoted saying that the board may gradually increase the number of spectators at the stadium as the tournament progresses. "That is our understanding. Going forward the stadiums will have more fans than initial games," an office-bearer of the BCCI told Cricbuzz on Monday (March 21). "With Covid cases coming down by the day, we are hoping more people will be in the stands."
As per an initial estimate, the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai will have around 10,000 spectators present to cheer their favorite teams. Meanwhile, neighboring Brabourne Stadium, with a capacity of around 28,000, will have up to 7-8,000. The DY Patil Stadium in Nerul, being larger in size, will host around 12,000 fans. The Maharashtra Cricket Stadium in Pune is expected to have an initial fill of 12,000.
BCCI satisfied with recent experiments
The COVID-19 pandemic had forced sporting bodies to host games behind closed doors. The BCCI also staged many tournaments without spectators. But with the third wave on a decline in the country, the Indian cricket board allowed some crowd in India's home games. The India vs West Indies T20Is at the Eden Gardens saw a 75% crowd enjoying the game from the venue.
After that, the first Test between India and Sri Lanka had a 50% crowd at IS Bindra Cricket Stadium in Mohali. The Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru had a 100% crowd cheering for India. The BCCI also successfully hosted the league phase of the Ranji Trophy. With their experiments working, the board is excited to host spectators at match venues for IPL 2022.