The second edition of the much-awaited Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 championship is scheduled to begin on April 18 with first match at Newlands, Cape Town between last year champion Rajasthan Royals and Bangalore Royal Challengers.

The match will commence with a glittering opening ceremony at Newlands before the first match.

The semi-finals and the final will be held at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on May 24.

The domestic Indian cricket tournament, comprising players from all across the world, was forced to shift from India to South Africa following government concern over security arrangements in an election year, as the earlier schedule were overlapping with the general elections starting from next month.

The Board of Cricket Control for India (BCCI) and IPL organisers had then decided to stage this mega sporting event in South Africa with all logistic and security support from the South African cricket board and government.

IPL 2009 schedule:

April 18: Opening ceremony followed by Rajasthan Royals vs Bangalore Royal Challengers and Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings (Newlands, Cape Town )

April 19: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Deccan Chargers (Newlands, Cape Town); Delhi Daredevils vs Kings XI Punjab (Newlands, Cape Town)

April 20: Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Chennai Super Kings ( St. George's Park , Port Elizabeth )

April 21: Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians (Kingsmead, Durban ); Kolkata Knight Riders v Kings XI Punjab (Kingsmead, Durban )

April 22: Delhi Daredevils vs Chennai Super Kings (Kingsmead, Durban ); Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Deccan Chargers (Newlands, Cape Town )

April 23: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals ( St. George's Park , Port Elizabeth )

April 24: Kings XI Punjab vs Bangalore Royal Challengers (Wanderers, Johannesburg )

April 25: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings (Newlands, Cape Town ); Deccan Chargers vs Mumbai Indians (Kingsmead, Durban )

April 26: Rajasthan Royals vs Kings XI Punjab (Newlands, Cape Town); Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Delhi Daredevils (St. George's Park, Port Elizabeth)

April 27: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians (Newlands, Cape Town ); Chennai Super Kings vs Deccan Chargers (Kingsmead, Durban )

April 28: Delhi Daredevils vs Rajasthan Royals ( Supersport Park , Centurion, Pretoria )

April 29: Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab (Kingsmead, Durban ); Kolkata Knight Riders vs Bangalore Royal Challengers (Kingsmead, Durban )

April 30: Delhi Daredevils vs Deccan Chargers (Supersport Park, Centurion, Pretoria); Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings (Supersport Park, Centurion, Pretoria)

May 1: Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Kings XI Punjab ( Buffalo Park , East London); Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders (Kingsmead, Durban )

May 2: Rajasthan Royals vs Deccan Chargers (Wanderers, Johannesburg ); Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Daredevils ( St. George's Park , Port Elizabeth )

May 3: Mumbai Indians vs Bangalore Royal Challengers (Kingsmead, Durban ); Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight Riders ( Buffalo Park , East London )

May 4: Deccan Chargers vs Chennai Super Kings ( St. George's Park , Port Elizabeth )

May 5: Delhi Daredevils vs Kolkata Knight Riders (Kingsmead, Durban ); Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals (Kingsmead, Durban )

May 6: Mumbai Indians vs Deccan Chargers ( Supersport Park , Centurion, Pretoria )

May 7: Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings ( Supersport Park , Centurion, Pretoria ); Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Rajasthan Royals ( Supersport Park , Centurion, Pretoria )

May 8: Delhi Daredevils vs Mumbai Indians ( Buffalo Park , East London )

May 9: Deccan Chargers vs Kings XI Punjab ( Outsurance Park , Bloemfontein ); Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals ( St. George's Park , Port Elizabeth )

May 10: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Daredevils ( Buffalo Park , East London); Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Mumbai Indians (Wanderers, Johannesburg )

May 11: Deccan Chargers vs Rajasthan Royals ( Outsurance Park , Bloemfontein )

May 12: Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Kolkata Knight Riders ( Supersport Park , Centurion, Pretoria ); Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai Indians ( Supersport Park , Centurion, Pretoria )

May 13: Deccan Chargers vs Delhi Daredevils (Kingsmead, Durban )

May 14: Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals (Kingsmead, Durban ); Chennai Super Kings vs Bangalore Royal Challengers (Kingsmead, Durban )

May 15: Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi Daredevils (De Beers Diamond, Oval, Kimberley )

May 16: Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians (Wanderers, Johannesburg ); Deccan Chargers vs Kolkata Knight Riders ( St. George's Park , Port Elizabeth )

May 17: Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Daredevils (De Beers Diamond Oval, Kimberley ); Kings XI Punjab vs Deccan Chargers (Wanderers, Johannesburg )

May 18: Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders ( Supersport Park , Centurion, Pretoria )

May 19: Delhi Daredevils vs Bangalore Royal Challengers (Wanderers, Johannesburg )

May 20: Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab (Kingsmead, Durban ); Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders (Kingsmead, Durban )

May 21: Deccan Chargers vs Bangalore Royal Challengers ( Supersport Park , Centurion, Pretoria ); Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Daredevils ( Supersport Park , Centurion, Pretoria )

May 22: Semifinal 1 at Supersport Park , Centurion, Pretoria

May 23: Semifinal 2 at Wanderers, Johannesburg

May 24: Closing ceremony followed by final (Wanderers, Johannesburg ).