After the exciting season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, the IPL 2021 schedule is finally announced. The tournament will start on April 9. Fans worldwide are excited for the 2021 season, waiting for the big day of the 14 edition of the IPL.
The IPL is a cricket league taking place in India every year. Eight Indian teams usually compete for the title in this league, with overseas players included in the teams’ lists. The tournament attracts viewers from all over the world in the same period except for the last year 2020 due to the Coronavirus crisis.
If you are a cricket fan waiting for this big event, you certainly have the IPL 2021 schedule now. You only need to figure out how you can watch the league from the comfort of your home.
How to watch IPL 2021 in the USA?
The IPL is a famous sports event with a massive number of viewers from all over the world. In India, Star Sports is the official media network that owns the broadcasting rights of the league. However, the channels of Star Sports are not available in all countries.
Different TV channels will broadcast this tournament as Fox Sports, BeIN Sport, Now TV, and others. Therefore, you can watch the IPL if you have access to any of these channels. Yet, having no access to any official TV channels that will broadcast the IPL is not a problem. You can still watch the event using on-demand streaming services.
Hotstar, now known as Disney+ Hotstarin India, is the digital service of Star Sports in India. It holds the Star Sports channel’s content rights, including all the domestic sports tournaments of India. Hotstar is a subscription-based service working in many countries, including the USA. If you are a USA resident and want to catch this live event, Hotstar IPL live is conveniently available for all cricket fans. You can avail Hotstar IPL offer by using promo code CRICBUZ to get $5 instant discount plus extra benefits.
Another option offering the same live watching experience is Willow TV. Willow TV is a paid streaming TV app available for USA residents. It hosts all the cricket tournaments all around the world, and IPL will be one of them. The Willow TV app will broadcast the IPL so you can watch the matches on any of the supported devices.
IPL 2021 schedule
The IPL 2021 start date is April 9, 2021. The opening match will be between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore and will take place in Chennai. At the same time, the final match will be on 30 May 2021. So, the duration is 52 days.
During those days, Teams will play 60 matches per the IPL 2021 schedule in 6 Indian cities. The semi-finals will be played on 25, 26, and 28 May at Narendra Modi Stadium. While the Final is on the last day, 30 May, at the same stadium as well.
The tournament period is so occupied, as is evident from the IPL 2021 dates. 60 matches in 52 days, which means that two matches will be played one after the other on some days. Here is the complete schedule of IPL 2021.
| MATCH NO | DAY | DATE | TIME | VENUE | HOME | AWAY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FRI | 9-APR-21 | 07:30 PM | CHENNAI | MUMBAI INDIANS | ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE |
| 2 | SAT | 10-APR-21 | 07:30 PM | MUMBAI | CHENNAI SUPER KINGS | DELHI CAPITALS |
| 3 | SUN | 11-APR-21 | 07:30 PM | CHENNAI | SUNRISERS HYDERABAD | KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS |
| 4 | MON | 12-APR-21 | 07:30 PM | MUMBAI | RAJASTHAN ROYALS | PUNJAB KINGS |
| 5 | TUE | 13-APR-21 | 07:30 PM | CHENNAI | KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS | MUMBAI INDIANS |
| 6 | WED | 14-APR-21 | 07:30 PM | CHENNAI | SUNRISERS HYDERABAD | ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE |
| 7 | THU | 15-APR-21 | 07:30 PM | MUMBAI | RAJASTHAN ROYALS | DELHI CAPITALS |
| 8 | FRI | 16-APR-21 | 07:30 PM | MUMBAI | PUNJAB KINGS | CHENNAI SUPER KINGS |
| 9 | SAT | 17-APR-21 | 07:30 PM | CHENNAI | MUMBAI INDIANS | SUNRISERS HYDERABAD |
| 10 | SUN | 18-APR-21 | 03:30 PM | CHENNAI | ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE | KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS |
| 11 | SUN | 18-APR-21 | 07:30 PM | MUMBAI | DELHI CAPITALS | PUNJAB KINGS |
| 12 | MON | 19-APR-21 | 07:30 PM | MUMBAI | CHENNAI SUPER KINGS | RAJASTHAN ROYALS |
| 13 | TUE | 20-APR-21 | 07:30 PM | CHENNAI | DELHI CAPITALS | MUMBAI INDIANS |
| 14 | WED | 21-APR-21 | 03:30 PM | CHENNAI | PUNJAB KINGS | SUNRISERS HYDERABAD |
| 15 | WED | 21-APR-21 | 07:30 PM | MUMBAI | KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS | CHENNAI SUPER KINGS |
| 16 | THU | 22-APR-21 | 07:30 PM | MUMBAI | ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE | RAJASTHAN ROYALS |
| 17 | FRI | 23-APR-21 | 07:30 PM | CHENNAI | PUNJAB KINGS | MUMBAI INDIANS |
| 18 | SAT | 24-APR-21 | 07:30 PM | MUMBAI | RAJASTHAN ROYALS | KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS |
| 19 | SUN | 25-APR-21 | 03:30 PM | MUMBAI | CHENNAI SUPER KINGS | ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE |
| 20 | SUN | 25-APR-21 | 07:30 PM | CHENNAI | SUNRISERS HYDERABAD | DELHI CAPITALS |
| 21 | MON | 26-APR-21 | 07:30 PM | AHMEDABAD | PUNJAB KINGS | KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS |
| 22 | TUE | 27-APR-21 | 07:30 PM | AHMEDABAD | DELHI CAPITALS | ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE |
| 23 | WED | 28-APR-21 | 07:30 PM | DELHI | CHENNAI SUPER KINGS | SUNRISERS HYDERABAD |
| 24 | THU | 29-APR-21 | 03:30 PM | DELHI | MUMBAI INDIANS | RAJASTHAN ROYALS |
| 25 | THU | 29-APR-21 | 07:30 PM | AHMEDABAD | DELHI CAPITALS | KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS |
| 26 | FRI | 30-APR-21 | 07:30 PM | AHMEDABAD | PUNJAB KINGS | ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE |
| 27 | SAT | 1-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | DELHI | MUMBAI INDIANS | CHENNAI SUPER KINGS |
| 28 | SUN | 2-MAY-21 | 03:30 PM | DELHI | RAJASTHAN ROYALS | SUNRISERS HYDERABAD |
| 29 | SUN | 2-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | AHMEDABAD | PUNJAB KINGS | DELHI CAPITALS |
| 30 | MON | 3-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | AHMEDABAD | KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS | ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE |
| 31 | TUE | 4-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | DELHI | SUNRISERS HYDERABAD | MUMBAI INDIANS |
| 32 | WED | 5-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | DELHI | RAJASTHAN ROYALS | CHENNAI SUPER KINGS |
| 33 | THU | 6-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | AHMEDABAD | ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE | PUNJAB KINGS |
| 34 | FRI | 7-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | DELHI | SUNRISERS HYDERABAD | CHENNAI SUPER KINGS |
| 35 | SAT | 8-MAY-21 | 03:30 PM | AHMEDABAD | KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS | DELHI CAPITALS |
| 36 | SAT | 8-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | DELHI | RAJASTHAN ROYALS | MUMBAI INDIANS |
| 37 | SUN | 9-MAY-21 | 03:30 PM | BANGALORE | CHENNAI SUPER KINGS | PUNJAB KINGS |
| 38 | SUN | 9-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | KOLKATA | ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE | SUNRISERS HYDERABAD |
| 39 | MON | 10-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | BANGALORE | MUMBAI INDIANS | KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS |
| 40 | TUE | 11-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | KOLKATA | DELHI CAPITALS | RAJASTHAN ROYALS |
| 41 | WED | 12-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | BANGALORE | CHENNAI SUPER KINGS | KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS |
| 42 | THU | 13-MAY-21 | 03:30 PM | BANGALORE | MUMBAI INDIANS | PUNJAB KINGS |
| 43 | THU | 13-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | KOLKATA | SUNRIERS HYDERABAD | RAJASTHAN ROYALS |
| 44 | FRI | 14-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | KOLKATA | ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE | DELHI CAPITALS |
| 45 | SAT | 15-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | BANGALORE | KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS | PUNJAB KINGS |
| 46 | SUN | 16-MAY-21 | 03:30 PM | KOLKATA | RAJASTHAN ROYALS | ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE |
| 47 | SUN | 16-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | BANGALORE | CHENNAI SUPER KINGS | MUMBAI INDIANS |
| 48 | MON | 17-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | KOLKATA | DELHI CAPITALS | SUNRISERS HYDERABAD |
| 49 | TUE | 18-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | BANGALORE | KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS | RAJASTHAN ROYALS |
| 50 | WED | 19-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | BANGALORE | SUNRISERS HYDERABAD | PUNJAB KINGS |
| 51 | THU | 20-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | KOLKATA | ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE | MUMBAI INDIANS |
| 52 | FRI | 21-MAY-21 | 03:30 PM | BANGALORE | KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS | SUNRISERS HYDERABAD |
| 53 | FRI | 21-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | KOLKATA | DELHI CAPITALS | CHENNAI SUPER KINGS |
| 54 | SAT | 22-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | BANGALORE | PUNJAB KINGS | RAJASTHAN ROYALS |
| 55 | SUN | 23-MAY-21 | 03:30 PM | KOLKATA | MUMBAI INDIANS | DELHI CAPITALS |
| 56 | SUN | 23-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | KOLKATA | ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE | CHENNAI SUPER KINGS |
| 57 | TUE | 25-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | AHMEDABAD | QUALIFIER 1 | |
| 58 | WED | 26-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | AHMEDABAD | ELIMINATOR | |
| 59 | FRI | 28-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | AHMEDABAD | QUALIFIER 2 | |
| 60 | SUN | 30-MAY-21 | 07:30 PM | AHMEDABAD | FINAL |
Cricket Teams
Eight teams will be competing in this tournament. The participating teams are:-
- Mumbai Indians
- Chennai Super Kings
- Rajasthan Royals
- Delhi Capitals
- Royal Challengers Bangalore
- Kolkata Knight Riders
- Punjab Kings
- Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Each of the teams has a limit of 25 players either already existing or bought during the auctions. Each team will play with the other seven teams two times. There will be two qualifiers, an eliminator match and the final, making up of 60 matches.
Mumbai Indians team was the winner of the 2020 and 2019 IPL seasons. They have won 5 seasons since the first season in 2008. So, they ranked for the highest number of IPL wins.
IPL 2021 Auction
The IPL 2021 auction took place on 18 February 2021. The auction took place in Chennai, where the first match will take place as well.
By the end of the auctions, the eight teams chose 57 players. The allowed maximum number of players that all eight teams can buy during the auctions is 61.
The auctions were surprising as well as disappointing for many fans. Some of the key players went unsold in the 2021 auctions as Aaron Finch, Sheldon Cottrell, Alex Hales, Jason Roy, Marnus Labuschagne, and Ben Cutting.
To the surprise of many IPL fans, Chris Morris was the most expensive player in this auction,sold at 16.25 crores to Rajasthan Royals. This number is the highest ever paid to any IPL player. Yuvraj Singh was previously the titleholder sold at 16 crores.
Kayle Jamieson was the second most expensive player getting 15 crores from Royal Challengers Bangalore. The same team also took Glenn Maxwell at 14.25 crores. Fans are waiting to see a different performance from Maxwell than that of the last year.
Sachin Baby and Rajat Patidar were the two Indian players that Royal Challengers Bangalore gained during the same base price. Delhi Capitals won Ripal Patel for his base price as well, each at 20 Lakhs.
Hotstar IPL point table
The IPL 2021 point table is a significant concern for all IPL fans during the tournament period;fans are concerned with their team’s points and their position in the game. The Hotstar IPL point table is updated continuously during the game time with the number of wins, losses, ties, and total plays of each team. You can see your team’s performance and follow-up with their progress on this point table.
Conclusion
While we are waiting for the mega event and following the IPL 2021 news, the BCCI has some surprising news for the next season as well. Some news is saying that it is possible to see 10 teams instead of 8 in the next year. Other news is adding that each team may be allowed 5 overseas players instead of 4. This may add more thrill and excitement to the tournament. Either way, we are all waiting to see excellent performance from all players.
