On February 22, the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) schedule for the first 17 days from March 22 to April 7 was announced. Defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the season opener. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in a statement clarified that the full schedule is not announced due to the Lok Sabha elections and it is working with the government and security agencies in the meantime.
“As in the past, the BCCI will work closely with government and security agencies, following all necessary protocols and advisories related to the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections in India,” BCCI said in a statement.
“Once the dates for the 18th Lok Sabha elections are announced, the Board will review and address any issues pertaining to the schedule of the first two weeks. Subsequently, the BCCI will work in tandem with local authorities to finalize the schedule for the remainder of the season, taking into account the polling dates.”
Delhi Capitals to play at home away from home
In the initial schedule, a total of 21 matches will be played including three double-header weekends. Each team will play a minimum of three matches and a maximum of five. Also, Delhi Capitals (DC) will play their first two home matches in Vizag.
“Having chosen to play their first two home matches in Visakhapatnam, the Delhi Capitals will first host the Chennai Super Kings on Sunday, 31st March in the port city and will then face the Kolkata Knight Riders at the same venue on Wednesday, 3rd April,” BCCI said.
Colossal clash on Super Sunday
The mouth-watering encounter between five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) and Shubman Gill-led Gujarat Titans (GT) will be played on March 24 in Ahmedabad. Hardik Pandya will be playing against his former franchise since the shocking move to MI. Also, this will be the first time Rohit Sharma will be playing under the leadership of Pandya.
It will be interesting to see if Pandya gets a hostile welcome from Ahmedabad. The all-rounder led GT to the title win in their first season. In 2023, GT reached the final but lost to CSK on reserve day.
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