Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 Schedule Released, CSK face RCB in the first match

The schedule for the 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was released on Thursday (February 22). The defending champions Chennai Super Kings will play in the first match. This match will be played at their home ground MA Chidambaram Stadium on March 22. Chennai will face Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The schedule for 21 matches has been released yet.

The Chennai team will play the opening match of an IPL season for a record ninth time. The team has previously played the opening match in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023.

Delhi Capitals will play their first two matches in Visakhapatnam. The final of the Women’s Premier League will be played in Delhi, after which it will take time to prepare the ground for the IPL. Due to this, Delhi’s first two matches will be in Visakhapatnam.

The full schedule of IPL has not been released due to the general elections to be held in the country this year. The schedule for 17 days has been released yet. The schedule for the remaining matches will be released after the announcement of the Lok Sabha election dates.

Two double headers in the first week

The BCCI wrote in its press release, “21 matches will be played in 10 cities over a two-week period, with each team playing a minimum of three and a maximum of five matches. There will be two double headers in the first weekend, starting with Punjab Kings hosting Delhi Capitals on Saturday afternoon, followed by Kolkata Knight Riders hosting Sunrisers Hyderabad in the evening. On Sunday afternoon (March 24), the home team Rajasthan Royals will face Lucknow Super Giants in Jaipur. On Sunday evening, the home team Gujarat Titans will face five-time champions Mumbai Indians.”

The board said, “The BCCI will work closely with the government and security agencies to follow 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 related to the first two-week schedule. Thereafter, the BCCI will work closely with local authorities to finalize the schedule for the rest of the season, keeping in mind the polling dates.”