IPL 2009 Schedule Fixture

(This entry was originally published on Wednesday, March 4th, 2009)

Indian Premier League (IPL) 2009, the second season of IPL, is all set to kick off on 10 April 2009 which will be concluded with the tournament final taking place on 24 May 2009. After the successful organization of the first season last year, cricket fans around the world are expecting another exciting IPL Twenty20 tournament. The multi-million dollar Indian Premier League (IPL) was established by BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) in 2007 and its first tournament was held from 18 April to 1 June 2008. Featuring some of the great cricketers from around the world, IPL 2008 could successfully attract a large number of cricket fans from around the world. IPL 2009 is now expected to be more successful than its first edition, featuring cricket stars like Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff, Yuvraj Singh and many others.

Indian Premier League (IPL) has emerged as a big source of income for the international cricketers in recent time, though only a limited number of players are able to take part in the tournament that includes eight privately-owned franchises. Indian Cricket League (ICL), which BCCI has not recognized as a cricket tournament and is known as a rebel league, had played a big role in the inception of IPL. In fact, BCCI came up with the IPL model in order to prevent ICL from gaining popularity among the cricket players as well as cricket fans.

IPL is based on Twenty20 format of cricket and there are critics who blame BCCI for promoting newly-invented T20 format extensively through IPL, in stead of cricket’s traditional formats: Test and ODI cricket. Twenty20 format is a 40-over game in which each of the two participating teams is allowed to play 20 overs and the team with highest run is the winner. The main attraction of Twenty20 format is that it is full of hard-hitting- meaning both sides try to score as quickly as possible and that is why, both teams feature a number of hard-hitters who can play big shots. Moreover, a twenty20 game is a three-hour package of cricket entertainment for the cricket loving fans and twenty20 matches are usually played at night (at prime time), and thus, many cricket fans being able to watch the matches after the day’s work.

IPL has not only become a big source of income for the players, but also it has been a great source of revenue for BCCI who are already the richest cricket board in the world. BCCI has already generated a huge amount of money by selling the ownership rights of IPL franchises and by signing big-amount sponsorship deals. Though franchise owners have already started earning through sponsorship deals as well as selling tickets and memorabilia, the franchise owners will need a few more seasons to start making revenue.

IPL 2009 Twenty20 Format

The format of IPL 2009 T20 tournament is similar to the format of IPL 2008. Eight teams will play against each other twice (once at home and other in away) in the group stage, based on double round robin league system. Four teams with highest number of points earned in the group stage will progress to the semi final stage. Among the four semi finalists, the top team with highest point will face the team with lowest point, while the second and third placed team in terms of point will take on each other in the semi final. The winner of the semi final will face each other in the tournament final on 24 May 2009.

There is a slight change in the team combination. IPL authority has increased the number of international player in a team roster from 8 to 10, but the number of international player allowed in the final eleven is restricted to 4 players. Player purchase cap for IPL 2009 has been increased from previous year’s 5 million to 7 million.

Recruitment of Players for IPL 2009

Players were recruited by IPL franchises in four phases for this second edition of IPL tournament. First, there was a trade window which was held in December 2008 and January 2009. During trade window, players were exchanged between IPL franchises, signing swap deals.

A large number of international players were signed last season and that is why, there was a pre-auction phase during which IPL franchises were more concentrated on signing young talented players from domestic leagues of different countries. Delhi Daredevils sent its scouts to domestic league matches in several countries in order to find out and sign up emerging players. Kolkata Knight Riders even made a Talent Research Development Wing (TRDW) to find out young players and train them for future prospect.

Then came the IPL 2009 auction which was held in 6 February 2009. Each of the IPL teams was allowed to spend 2 million dollars for recruiting players during IPL auction. Two England players, Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, have jointly become the highest players of IPL 2009 auction, with each of them signing up a deal worth 1,550,000 with Bangalore Royal Challengers and Chennai Super Kings respectively.

There was a post-auction phase too during which some of the unsold players were bought by the teams and some of the teams were looking for replacements of the Pakistani players who would not be able to take part in the IPL 2009 tournament. Some of the replacements of IPL 2008 who had one-year contract with their respective IPL teams were either re-signed by the franchises or were released from the contract as free agents. Shaun Pollock represented Mumbai Indians in the inaugural tournament of IPL in 2008, but he has already announced that he would not take part in IPL 2009 as a player. However, he will be seen working as the bowling coach of Mumbai Indians this season.

Schedule/ Fixture of Second Edition of IPL/ IPL 2009 Twenty20 Tournament

IPL 2009 Twenty20 tournament will get underway on 10 April. Defending champion Rajasthan Royals will take on Delhi Daredevils at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur. There are 59 matches to be held during 45-day-long tournament. Here, I am giving the full schedule of IPL 2009 tournament:

Stage	Date	Competing Teams	Time	Venue
Group Stage	April 10 Friday	Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Daredevils	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Group Stage	April 11 Saturday	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Deccan Chargers	Local 16:00 GMT 10:30	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Group Stage		Chennai Super Kings vs Bangalore Royal Challengers	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Group Stage	April 12 Sunday	Delhi Daredevils vs Kings XI Punjab	Local 16:00 GMT 10:30	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Group Stage		Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai
Group Stage	April 13 Monday	Deccan Chargers vs Chennai Super Kings	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
Group Stage	April 14 Tuesday	Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Kolkata Knight Riders	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Group Stage	April 15 Wed	Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai Indians	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
Group Stage	April 16 Thursday	Deccan Chargers vs Delhi Daredevils	Local 16:00 GMT 10:30	Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
Group Stage		Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Group Stage	April 17 Friday	Mumbai Indians vs Bangalore Royal Challengers	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai
Group Stage	April 18 Saturday	Kings XI Punjab vs Deccan Chargers	Local 16:00 GMT 10:30	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
Group Stage		Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Daredevils	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Group Stage	April 19 Sunday	Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Rajasthan Royals	Local 16:00 GMT 10:30	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Group Stage		Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai
Group Stage	April 20 Monday	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Group Stage	April 21 Tuesday	Delhi Daredevils vs Mumbai Indians	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Group Stage	April 22 Wed	Rajasthan Royals vs Deccan Chargers	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Group Stage	April 23 Thursday	Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Kings XI Punjab	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Group Stage	April 24 Friday	Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai
Group Stage	April 25 Saturday	Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab	Local 16:00 GMT 10:30	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Group Stage		Delhi Daredevils vs Bangalore Royal Challengers	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Group Stage	April 26 Sunday	Deccan Chargers vs Mumbai Indians	Local 16:00 GMT 10:30	ACA-VDCA Stadium, Visakhapatnam
Group Stage		Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Group Stage	April 27 Monday	Kings XI Punjab vs Bangalore Royal Challengers	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
Group Stage	April 28 Tuesday	Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Daredevils	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai
Group Stage	April 29 Wed	Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders	Local 16:00 GMT 10:30	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Group Stage		Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
Group Stage	April 30 Thursday	Deccan Chargers vs Bangalore Royal Challengers	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	ACA-VDCA Stadium, Visakhapatnam
Group Stage	May 1 Friday	Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Daredevils	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Group Stage	May 2 Saturday	Mumbai Indians vs Deccan Chargers	Local 16:00 GMT 10:30	DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai
Group Stage		Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Group Stage	May 3 Sunday	Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
Group Stage		Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Delhi Daredevils	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Group Stage	May 4 Monday	Deccan Chargers vs Rajasthan Royals	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
Group Stage	May 5 Tuesday	Delhi Daredevils vs Chennai Super Kings	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Group Stage	May 6 Wed	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians	Local 16:00 GMT 10:30	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Group Stage		Rajasthan Royals vs Kings XI Punjab	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Group Stage	May 7 Thursday	Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Deccan Chargers	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Group Stage	May 8 Friday	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Group Stage	May 9 Saturday	Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi Daredevils	Local 16:00 GMT 10:30	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
Group Stage		Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Group Stage	May 10 Sunday	Deccan Chargers vs Kolkata Knight Riders	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
Group Stage	May 11 Monday	Delhi Daredevils vs Rajasthan Royals	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Group Stage	May 12 Tuesday	Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab	Local 16:00 GMT 10:30	DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai
Group Stage		Chennai Super Kings vs Deccan Chargers	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Group Stage	May 13 Wed	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Bangalore Royal Challengers	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Group Stage	May 14 Thursday	Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings	Local 16:00 GMT 10:30	Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Group Stage		Delhi Daredevils vs Deccan Chargers	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Group Stage	May 15 Friday	Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Mumbai Indians	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Group Stage	May 16 Saturday	Delhi Daredevils vs Kolkata Knight Riders	Local 16:00 GMT 10:30	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Group Stage		Deccan Chargers vs Kings XI Punjab	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
Group Stage	May 17 Sunday	Rajasthan Royals vs Bangalore Royal Challengers	Local 16:00 GMT 10:30	Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Group Stage		Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Group Stage	May 18 Monday	Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight Riders	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
Group Stage	May 19 Tuesday	Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Chennai Super Kings	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
1st Semi-Final	May 21 Thursday	TBC vs TBC	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
2nd Semi-Final	May 22 Friday	TBC vs TBC	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Final	May 24 Sunday	TBC vs TBC	Local 20:00 GMT 14:30	DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai

IPL 2009 Venues

IPL 2009 matches will take place in nine different venues across the country. IPL matches were held in eight venues last year. The new venue for IPL 2009 is ACA-VDCA Stadium, Visakhapatnam located in Andhra Pradesh. Alongside Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, the stadium located in Visakhapatnam will host two home games of IPL franchise Deccan Chargers, who thus will play home matches in two different venues in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Besides these two venues, there are seven other venues in seven different cities for seven other IPL teams. Here, I am giving the names of the home grounds of all of the IPL teams for the second season of IPL:

Teams	Home Grounds
Bangalore Royal Challengers	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Chennai Super Kings	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Deccan Chargers	1. Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad 2. ACA-VDCA Stadium, Visakhapatnam
Delhi Daredevils	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Kings XI Punjab	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
Kolkata Knight Riders	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Mumbai Indians	DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai
Rajasthan Royals	Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur