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Mumbai: The Governing Council of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is to meet on September 5 and is expected to take a decision on the match schedule for the expanded 2011 season, involving 10 franchise.
"The IPL Governing Council is meeting on Sunday at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. The draft schedule for the 2011 season is to be finalised at the meeting, including number of matches," BCCI sources said on Thursday.
"The meeting will also finalise player regulations, approve player contracts and registration of player contracts," they added.
The previous meeting on August 20 could not complete this process as the entire time was taken up in discussing the accounts for the 2009-10 season.
No proposal was tabled at that meeting about the number of matches in IPL 4, involving two additional teams - Sahara Warriors of Pune and Kochi. The September 5 meeting is expected to complete this process.
The sources the existing format of home and away league ties followed by two semi-finals, a match to decide 3-4 places and the grand final, a total of 94 matches, cannot be held.
The organisers may opt for a shorter edition in terms of the number of matches, according to the sources.
Playing 94 matches is not possible, especially in the months of April-May-June when IPL 4 is to be held. There may be 73-74 matches in all, they said.
A three-member committee comprising former cricketers Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri has been formed to decide on these matters. Pataudi was absent at the last meeting because of indisposition.
It remains to be seen whether the meeting would take any decision on the contentious issue of retention of players when the grand players' auction is next held.
With two new franchises entering the fray, there are different views about how many players - Indian and foreign - should be allowed to be retained by the original eight teams at the next players' auction.
IPL sources had indicated earlier that these matters would be taken up only after the September 10-26 Champions League in South Africa.
