IPL 2019: Teams likely to have multiple 'home' venues

Due to seven-phase voting for the general elections, the teams are likely to have four home games and the rest three in 'designated' home venues to avoid clash with polling dates.

With multiple voting dates in the state of Maharashtra, Mumbai Indians is unlikely to have all its home games being played in one venue.

The final fixtures of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is expected to be released next Monday (March 18) but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) faces a huge challenge to ensure that the teams play seven matches at home.

With the country heading for seven-phase elections, states like West Bengal and Maharashtra have multiple voting dates, and that makes the job far more difficult for the Board to keep all the home games at a single venue.

"We are working out on all the possible options. It will take a bit of time before we finalise the schedule," a Board official said.

Given the scenario, chances are high that teams will have four home games and the rest three will be 'designated' home games.

The Board has already kept Rajkot, Indore, Visakhapatnam, Lucknow and Dharamsala as back-up venues.

There are also talks that teams like Rajasthan Royals could play three matches at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. However, there is no confirmation yet.

"A lot depends on the state administration as well. If the local police assures us security then things could go smoothly. But still a lot of discussions could be required," one of the franchise officials said.

The Board officials are expected to speak to the local police of states like West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Delhi and also with the stand-by states before finalising the fixture. A final decision is expected to be taken when the Committee of Administrators meet here next Monday.