IPL 2024 to Kick Off on March 22, Defending Champions CSK to Face RCB in Opener

The 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to commence on March 22, 2024, with defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) facing Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the opening match. This year's IPL will break the tradition of the opening match featuring the previous season's winners and runners-up.

The tournament will kick off with 21 matches scheduled over the first 17 days, taking into account the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in India. The complete IPL schedule will be announced later, once the general election dates are finalized.

During the initial 17-day period, 21 matches will be played across 10 cities, with each team playing a minimum of three and a maximum of five matches. The first weekend will feature two doubleheaders, with Punjab Kings hosting Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The action will then shift to Jaipur, where Rajasthan Royals will face Lucknow Super Giants, followed by Gujarat Titans, the reigning champions, facing five-time winners Mumbai Indians in Ahmedabad.

Delhi Capitals, who have opted to play their first two home matches in Visakhapatnam, will host Chennai Super Kings on March 31 and Kolkata Knight Riders on April 3.

The 10 teams are divided into two groups of five, with each team playing 14 games in the group stage. They will face the other four teams in their group twice (home and away), four teams in the other group once, and the remaining team twice.

Despite the upcoming general elections, the tournament will be held entirely in India. The BCCI will work closely with government and security agencies to ensure all necessary protocols and advisories related to the elections are followed.

The IPL was held entirely overseas only once, in 2009, in South Africa. In 2014, a portion of the tournament was held in the UAE due to elections. However, in 2019, the IPL took place in India despite the elections.

Hardik Pandya will make his debut as the captain for Mumbai Indians, taking over from Rohit Sharma. New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra will make his maiden IPL appearance after a notable performance in the ODI World Cup last year.

Meanwhile, CSK's iconic figure MS Dhoni, who led the team to five IPL titles, has been out of competitive cricket since their victorious campaign in the previous season.

The IPL players' auction for the 2024 season took place in December last year, with Australian pacer Mitchell Starc becoming the most expensive player in IPL history after being bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 24.75 crore.

Tags: #IPL2024, #Cricket, #ChennaiSuperKings, #RoyalChallengersBangalore, #MSDhoni