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The third edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will return to its country of origin and will be played in four new venues, it was announced by the league's chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi here Tuesday.

The tournament will start from March 12 and final will be played April 25. The 60-game tournament will feature a third-place playoff between the losing semi-finalists and the winner can get a chance to qualify for the Champions League.

The opening game will be hosted in Hyderabad, where defending champions Deccan Chargers will face Kolkata Knight Riders, while Bangalore will host both the semi-finals. The venue of the final is yet to be decided.

The tournament will also see the induction of Indian Cricket League (IPL) players while the fourth edition in 2011 will see the induction of two new teams.

Nagpur, Visakhapatnam, Ahmedabad and Dharamsala have been inducted as new venues and will be new home of Mumbai Indians, Deccan Chargers, Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab, respectively.

The IPL governing body also said that rebel ICL players who accepted the Indian cricket board's amnesty may be paid anything between Rs.800,000 to Rs.2 million and players with international experience will be auctioned.

The governing body also decided that it would use the services of the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU).