IPL fixtures to be announced at 5:30 pm today; Delhi Capitals’ first two games to be shifted out of Arun Jaitely Cricket Stadium

Delhi Capitals will not be playing their first two home fixtures at Arun Jaitely Cricket Stadium as the venue will not be ready to host the matches.

The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has written a mail to the BCCI and the matches will be shifted to Pune and Cuttack, respectively. The IPL schedule will be announced later in the evening on Thursday.

Check out the full IPL schedule

The Indian Express has learned that the DDCA decided to move the fixture out of the venue as they will host 11 Women’s Premier League (WPL) matches within 13 days in the second leg of the tournament.

‘Delhi’s first two games will be moved to Pune and Cuttack, we have informed the BCCI about it.

‘The reason is WPL. We will be hosting a total of 11 matches in two weeks and with IPL starting from March 22 the first IPL match in Delhi was supposed to take place on March 24, so we don’t have enough time to prepare pitches. The BCCI has agreed to shift the first two matches and has also given us some breathing space,’ he said.

Even during the Ranji Trophy, the DDCA has struggled to find venues to host the matches. They had to shift three of their home matches so that they could prepare the pitches for the WPL.