IPL 2021 to begin on April 9: BCCI source
New Delhi, Mar 6: The 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will begin on April 9, exactly 12 days after the Indian cricket team completes its ongoing assignment against England, a BCCI source revealed on Saturday.
The third and last match of the ODI series against England will be held on March 28 in Pune. The duration of the popular T20 league has been fixed keeping in mind India's international schedule.
"We have provisionally decided that IPL will start on April 9 and end on May 30," a senior BCCI source told PTI.
"The formal approval of dates and venues will be done during Governing Council meeting next week," the source added.
Considering the prevailing circumstances when efforts are being made to minimise the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the BCCI has decided to host IPL matches in five cities -- Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Delhi and Ahmedabad.
The city of Mumbai will have to get clearance for hosting matches as the state of Maharashtra has seen a spurt in cases of late.
The allotment of matches to Chennai and Kolkata would be done, keeping in mind the state Assembly election scheduled there in the next few weeks.
Mumbai Indians had won the 2020 edition that was held in the UAE in a bio-secure bubble.
Also, the Asia Cup, that was scheduled in June this year in India, stands cancelled " now that India have qualified for the World Test Championship final, courtesy their 3-1 series win over England."
India beat England by a comprehensive margin of an innings and 25 runs on Saturday in the fourth and final Test to finish on top of the ICC Test championship table with 520 points. They will take on New Zealand in June at the Lord's for the inaugural title.
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Kantara mimicking case: HC extends interim relief given to actor Ranveer Singh till March 9
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka High Court on Monday extended the interim relief given to Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh till March 9, in a case related to mimicking a character from the movie, 'Kantara Chapter-1', and allegedly mocking a deity.
The actor had approached the High Court seeking the quashing of the FIR against him for mimicking Rishab Shetty's role as 'Chavunda' deity in the movie.
While mimicking, Singh had called the deity a "ghost". The actor was asked to appear before the court in person on Monday.
Appearing on behalf of the actor, his counsel Sajjan Poovayya said Singh was stuck in London and was unable to reach Bengaluru due to the conflict in West Asia.
The complainant, who is a lawyer, alleged that his religious sentiments were hurt by calling the deity a ghost. On the directions of a local Court, the police registered a case against the actor.
The High Court on February 24 granted interim relief to the actor with directions to the police not to take any coercive steps against him.
