The Times of India reports that the lucrative competition will cram 10 double-header matches into a three-week window culminating in early October.

It means there will be no clash with India’s tour of England, with the final Test match scheduled to finish on September 14, around four days before the reported restart.

Earlier this week there had been reports that India’s governing body, the BCCI, had informally approached the England and Wales Cricket Board with a view to moving the Test series.

If the new dates are confirmed, the schedule would not affect the Test series, with players expected to fly directly from the UK to a new biosphere bubble in the UAE.

The IPL was postponed in early May after a number of players tested positive for the virus, and there remain 31 matches in the season still to play.

The cancellation prompted a scramble back home for Australia’s cricketers, many of whom have had to return home via the Maldives due to the federal government’s controversial travel ban on those returning home from India.

Australia’s summer of cricket is due to start on November 27 in Hobart with the first-ever test match between Australia and Afghanistan.

-with AAP