The format of the new season of Indian T20 League remains the same, but expect plenty new additions this season.
The extravaganza and excitement of the Indian T20 League will return once again on March 29, 2020. Defending champions, team Mumbai will host the opening game of the 13th season of the tournament, as well as being the venue for the final.
Read | KL Rahul appointed new captain of Punjab in the Indian T20 League
The schedule for the competition is yet to be announced, but this season will see a few additional games and initiatives.
For the first time in the history of the Indian T20 League, an all-star game featuring players from all franchises is set to precede the tournament. The teams for this all-star game is believed to be formed by merging players from the North and East (Team Punjab, Team Delhi, Team Rajasthan, Team Kolkata), with the opposition team comprising of players from the West and South franchises (Team Mumbai, Team Chennai, Team Hyderabad, Team Bengaluru).
Read | Indian T20 League plans radical new changes ahead of 2020 season
Apart from this all-star game, season 13 of the Indian T20 League will see the usage of concussion substitutions for the first time. The usage of concussion substitutes was ratified by the ICC prior to the 2019 Ashes, with Australia's Marnus Labuschagne being the first to deputise for an injured Steve Smith. The BCCI will now trial the concussion substitutes rule in the Indian T20 League as well.
The 2020 edition will also see the introduction of no-ball umpires, with the television umpires now making decisions on overstepping no balls. This move would be welcomed by the league's teams, following the controversy of last season where the on-field umpire failed to spot a no-ball in the final delivery of a game between Team Bengaluru and Team Mumbai.
The schedule for this year's competition is yet to be confirmed by the BCCI, but a start date of March 29 has been verified. With no new additional teams this season, the format of the tournament is unlikely to undergo any changes.
Read | How will a combined Indian T20 League and PSL XI look like?
Feature image courtesy: Twitter / @IPL
