CHENNAI: Given the upcoming general elections in the country, the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) on Thursday unveiled the schedule of the first 17 days of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Defending champions Chennai Super Kings will play Royal Challengers Bangalore in the season opener at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on March 22. During the period from March 22 to April 7, a total of 21 matches will be played across 10 cities, with each team playing a minimum of three matches and a maximum of five.
As per the schedule, all the teams except Delhi Capitals will host at least one match at their home ground. Delhi franchise has chosen to play their first two home matches in Visakhapatnam. Capitals will host CSK on March 31 in the port city and will then face KKR at the same venue on April 3. In the past, Visakhapatnam has hosted 13 IPL matches (2 in 2012, 3 in 2015, 6 in 2016 and 2 in 2019). The venue served as the home ground for Delhi in the last of these four seasons. First, it hosted an eliminator between DC and Sunrisers Hyderabad followed by Qualifier 2 where Delhi played against CSK.
"Delhi co-owners GMR prefers Visakhapatnam as its subsidiary is GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Limited is developing a greenfield airport at Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram district. That's why they preferred the venue for their knockout matches in 2019. Besides, Delhi being the national capital is expected to remain in focus in coming months due to general elections," a source in the know of things told this daily.
The Women's Premier League starting on Friday can also be a reason as the second edition of the tournament is being hosted in two legs — the first one in Bengaluru while the second will be played in Delhi. The Arun Jaitley Stadium in the city will host consecutive WPL matches from March 5 to 13 (9 games) apart from an eliminator and final on March 15 and 17. With the facility in use continuously for 11 matches, the curator too will require time to prepare the pitch for the IPL.
Meanwhile, the BCCI release said that the first weekend of the 2024 season will feature two double headers, beginning with the Punjab Kings hosting Delhi in the afternoon on March 23, followed by the KKR hosting the SRH in the evening. Incidentally, the second match of the day will be the only match Eden Gardens will hosting in the first phase. The Kolkata franchice will then play their remaining two matches of the first phase in Bengaluru and Vizag.
"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. 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," added the BCCI statement.
In 2009, the IPL in its entirety was held overseas (South Africa) due to general elections. In 2014, the tournament was partially held in the UAE due to the Lok Sabha elections while in 2019 the league was held in the country despite the elections.
The election dates have not been announced yet but it is expected that the polls could be held in seven or nine phases with schedule announcement likely in mid-March. Depending on the announcement of dates, elections could be held in April-May with results expected in May.
IPL schedule
March 22: CSK vs RCB March 23: PBKS vs DC; KKR vs SRH March 24: RR vs LSG; GT vs MI March 25: RCB vs PBKS March 26: CSK vs GT March 27: SRH vs MI March 28: RR vs DC March 29: RCB vs KKR March 30: LSG vs PBKS March 31: GT vs SRH; DC vs CSK April 1: MI vs RR April 2: RCB vs LSG April 3: DC vs KKR April 4: GT v PBKS April 5: SRH vs CSK April 6: RR vs RCB April 7: MI vs DC April 7: LSG vs GT.
