Mumbai and Pune split IPL league matches

NEW DELHI : The entire 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be played in a bio-secure environment in the western state of Maharashtra from March 26, the organising Indian cricket board (BCCI) said on Friday.

Mumbai will host 55 matches in three stadiums in and around the city, while Pune will host the remaining 15 league games which means air travel will not be required for the league's 10 franchises.

"The venue for the playoff matches will be decided later," BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a statement a day after the IPL governing council meeting.

The governing council considered air travel "a major threat for the spread of COVID-19 infection," he added.

The entire 2020 edition and the second half of last year's competition were held in the United Arab Emirates following a surge in COVID-19 numbers in India.

The league will welcome two new franchises this season after Lucknow and Ahmedabad paid a combined $1.7 billion to join the world's richest cricket league.

The teams, divided into two groups, will play a total of 14 league matches each and the final is scheduled on May 29.

(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Christian Radnedge)