Indian Premier League 2016 schedule announced, Mumbai Indians to face Rising Pune Supergiants in opener

New Delhi: Mumbai Indians will open their title defence at home against new entrants Rising Pune Supergiants to kick-start the 2016 Indian Premier League on April 9.

The tournament opener will take place at the Wankhede Stadium, it was announced today. The final on May 29 will also be played in Mumbai.

A total of 60 matches (including the 4 play-offs) will be played over a period of 51 days, in the ninth season of the tournament.

The Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium at Raipur will play host to two home games of Delhi Daredevils, while the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium at Nagpur will host three home games of Kings XI Punjab.

"All the top players from around the world will be seen in action this year. This season the IPL will be played at 10 venues Mohali, Delhi, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Rajkot and Raipur. I am excited to join the fans to see a lot of exciting cricket over the next three months," IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla said.