The port city, out of IPL radar for this year’s season, suddenly found itself to be the host of as many as six matches. Mumbai Indians and the MS Dhoni team Rising Pune Supergiants will play three matches each after the Supreme Court also agreed with a petitioner that IPL matches, which need to use a lot of water should not be played in the severely drought-hit Maharashtra.
The two teams will play against Sun Risers Hyderabad (the home team of the city in the past when the team was Deccan Chargers), Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab.
The Indian Premier League Governing Council announced on Friday that Visakhapatnam will be the neutral venue for MI and RPS home matches.
Neutral venue
Though the Rajasthan Government offered to host the matches, the GC decided that Visakhapatnam as neutral venue for the two teams due to paucity of time and uncertainty surrounding whether the matches will be held or not in Rajasthan.
Earlier representatives of MI and Pune team inspected the venue, ACA-VDCA stadium here and the facilities available in the city.
The following is schedule of IPL matches in the city:
May 8: Mumbai Indians vs Sun Risers Hyderabad (4 p.m); May 10: RPS vs SRH (8 pm.); May 13: MI vs. Kings XI Punjab (8 p.m.); May 15: MI vs Delhi Dare Devils (8 p.m.); May 17: RPS vs DD (8 p.m.); May 21: RPS vs. KXIP (4 p.m.).