The Indian Premier League is scheduled to begin on March 22 at Chennai’s Chepauk Stadium, where the reigning champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK)will play their southern rivals, the Royal Challenger Bangalore (RCB).
Days after hosting the Women’s Premier League final, Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium will not host any more games, therefore first two home games of the Delhi Capitals will take place in Visakhapatnam.
The world’s wealthiest cricket league will have ten teams competing in a nearly two-month-long tournament to determine the new champion. In 2023, the Gujarat Titans were defeated by the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led CSK, who raised the trophy for the fifth time. With this, CSK tied the Mumbai Indians for the most IPL trophies won.
IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal had earlier announced the commencement date for the 17th season and made it clear that the tournament will be played entirely in India, despite the matches clashing with the Lok Sabha elections.
“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, the BCCI said in a release.
ET had reported earlier that Lok Sabha dates will likely be announced in the second week of March.
Recap of the IPL Auction for 2024 season
Amid huge interest from fans and franchises alike, the eagerly-awaited IPL auction made quite a splash at the Coca-Cola arena in Dubai.
Mitchell Starc of Australia shattered all IPL auction records, going for a mind-boggling Rs 24.75 crore to Kolkata Knight Riders after a long, fierce bidding war. Starc broke compatriot Pat Cummins’ record, set earlier in the day, of Rs 20.5 crore.
Daryl Mitchell of New Zealand was another hot pick, having been sold for Rs 14 crore to CSK.
Other major newsmakers included Harshal Patel (Rs 11.75 crore, Punjab) and Alzarri Joseph (Rs 11.5 crore, RCB).
Speculation is rife that this season will be Dhoni’s final one as a player.