Whanganui's IPL all go tomorrow with ten Indian cricket clubs

Cricket Wanganui's IPL Twenty20 tournament is scheduled to get underway tomorrow morning.

It will be a Wellington vs the Rest theme when the Air Chathams IPL Twenty20 competition gets underway at Victoria Park and Whanganui Collegiate tomorrow morning.

Ten teams from Indian clubs around the North Island will take part, up from the six at the second tournament last year.

The Gujarat Lions from Patea, original tournament winners in 2017, have withdrawn this year due to family reasons, therefore the Wellington Sikhs, the last team to register to take part, have also stepped aside to allow an even number of sides.

Defending champions are the Wellington Fateh, who have played in both finals.

Starting at 11am the teams will play three pool games each, two tomorrow and the third on Sunday morning, with the Top 2 sides moving on to contest the championship final, as the other eight teams play-off according to their standings.

"We do know that net run rate will be a big part of this," said tournament organiser Dilan Raj.

There are five teams from Wellington, and five from the rest of the North Island including Auckland, Hastings, New Plymouth and the Bay of Plenty.

The local side are the Wicket Warriors, who won the Bullocks Premier 2 Twenty20 club competition in January.

In the event of wet weather, games will be moved to the artificial wickets at Springvale and Cullinane College.

The teams are:
Wicket Warriors Whanganui CC
Auckland ISC
Wellington Fateh CC
Hastings Shere Punjab
Sikh Sports Club
Petone Strikers
BOPISC Tigers
Rohtak Warriors
NP Stars
HDCC Challengers