IPL-5 will be a nine-team affair
The fifth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be the longest, from April 4 to May 27, and judging by the duration of the event, it looks the league is likely to revert to the home-away-matches format.
The IPL Governing Council (GC), meeting on the sidelines of the first One-day International between India and England here, decided that it will be a nine-team tournament, making it clear that there is no relooking at the termination of Kochi Tuskers.
The previous edition, held from April 8 to May 28, has been the longest until now with 10 teams, two new franchises Pune Warriors and Kochi Tuskers joining it.
Kochi's contract was terminated for non-payment of bank guarantee, thus abruptly ending the controversial Kerala team's association with the cash-rich league after just one year.
Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Sanjay Jagdale in a media release stated the management team has been asked to suggest various options to format the league.
"The Governing Council has asked the management team to come back with options for the format and structure for the 2012 season of the tournament. The council also approved various operational items for the forthcoming season," stated Jagdale.
"The player regulation and trading modalities will be discussed at the next meeting of the GC," he added.
The opening ceremony of IPL-5 will be held in Chennai April 3, a day before the inaugural game.
