|| Desk Report ||

The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will begin from March 29 with defending champions Mumbai Indians locking horns against previous season’s runners-up Chennai Super Kings in the tournament opener in Mumbai.

As per a report in a leading cricket website , the lucrative league has got rid of double-headers on Saturdays, thus adding another week to the league phase for the upcoming season. The double-headers will only be played on Sundays.

A total of eight franchises will take on each other during the league stage, which will be played in a round-robin format. Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore will play the final league 

Apart from the season one winners Rajasthan Royals, all the other franchises will play their respective home matches at their traditional venues. Rajasthan had earlier listed out Guwahati as their probable second home venue..

India play South Africa in a One Day International (ODI) series before the IPL and it ends on March 18. The whole season will be played for 50 days (compared to 44 in last season) with the league phase ending on May 17. The final league match will be played between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians.