The BCCI announced some key decisions taken regarding the upcoming 2022 edition of the Indian T20 League. The opening match will be played between last year finalists Chennai and Kolkata on March 26.

With the addition of two new members - Lucknow and Gujarat to the previously existing eight teams, the Indian T20 League is now a 10-team tournament, returning back to the 2011 model.

The 10 teams have been divided into two groups of 5 each. 70 group matches will be played, followed by 4 play-offs.

Groups for the Indian T20 League 2022

The teams have been divided into two virtual groups based on a seeding system formulated by the number of titles won and the number of finals played.

Mumbai, the 5-time champions, are in Group A, which has two former champions, Kolkata (3 titles) and Rajasthan (1 title). The group also consists of 2-time finalists Delhi, and Lucknow, one of the two new teams.

On the other hand, Group B includes 4-time winners Chennai alongside Hyderabad (1 title), 3-time finalists Bangalore, Punjab (1 final) and the second new team Gujarat.

Pattern of Fixtures for the Indian T20 League 2022

Each team will compete twice against their own group teams and the team allocated the same row in the second group. Each team will play only once against the remaining teams of the other group. 

For example, Mumbai will compete with the remaining Group A teams – Kolkata, Rajasthan, Delhi, Lucknow – twice, and also meet Chennai (allocated the same row in Group B) two times. Mumbai will meet the other Group B teams – Hyderabad, Bangalore, Punjab and Gujarat – only once.

Similarly, Hyderabad will play the other Group B teams and Kolkata (slotted in the same row in Group A) twice. They will play the remaining Group A teams only once.

Therefore, the 10 teams will play 14 fixtures each in the league stage. Each team will play 5 teams twice and 4 teams once.

Start and End Date of the Indian T20 League 2022 Season

The tournament is scheduled to start on 26th March and the final is to be held on 29th May. A total of 70 league games to be played across four venues – Wankhede Stadium, Brabourne Stadium, DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai and the MCA Stadium in Pune.

Venue-Wise Breakup of Group Matches

Mumbai will host 55 games, while 15 matches will be played in Pune. A decision on the venue for the play-offs is yet to be taken, with Ahmedabad likely to be the host.

Each team is scheduled to play four games each at the Wankhede Stadium and DY Patil Stadium, and three each at the Brabourne Stadium and MCA Stadium.

Indian T20 League 2022 Schedule Matrix

As the excitement of the new Indian T20 League season reaches its peak, you should look to be part of all this action. Download the Howzat fantasy app and Live the excitement while sitting on your couch at home. Happy gaming!