The BCCI released the fixture details on 18 February 2020. The league stage was scheduled to start on 29 March 2020, with the opening match between
Mumbai Indians and
Chennai Super Kings, the finalists of the previous season, at
Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. However, due to the
coronavirus pandemic, Maharashtra Chief Minister
Uddhav Thackeray announced on 12 March that IPL matches can be held in the state only if they are played in empty stadiums. Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi
Manish Sisodia declared that no IPL matches will be held in Delhi. On 13 March, the BCCI suspended the tournament until 15 April, in view of the ongoing
coronavirus pandemic. The decision regarding the postponement was reached by the Governing Council after a meeting with the owners of all eight franchise teams. On 9 April, with India under a nationwide lockdown, a BCCI official told
CNBC TV18 that the Board was considering hosting the tournament in July or during the winter, possibly
behind closed doors. On 14 April 2020, Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi said that the lockdown in India would last until at least 3 May 2020, with the tournament postponed further. The following day, the BCCI suspended the tournament indefinitely due to the pandemic. On 17 April 2020,
Sri Lanka Cricket offered to host the tournament. On 17 May 2020, the Indian government relaxed nationwide restrictions on sports events, allowing events to take place behind closed doors. On 24 May, Indian sports minister
Kiren Rijiju stated that the decision on whether or not to allow the tournament to be conducted in 2020 will be made by the Indian government based on "the situation of the pandemic". News reports on 17 July suggested that the BCCI was considering hosting the tournament in the United Arab Emirates between the tentative dates of 26 September and 7 November. After the
International Cricket Council (ICC) postponed the 2020 edition of the
Men's T20 World Cup, the BCCI sought
Government of India's permission to move the tournament to the UAE. On 24 July 2020, IPL Governing Council chairman
Brijesh Patel said that the tournament would be played in the UAE between 19 September and 10 November, should it get the nod from Government of India. On 10 August 2020, the
Government of India gave its permission for the tournament to take place in the
UAE. The full fixtures for the tournament were confirmed on 6 September 2020. ==Rules and regulations==