Reports: CSK vs RCB to kickstart IPL 2024, schedule to be announced on Thursday
CEO of the Chennai Super Kings franchise, Kasi Viswanathan had hinted at an inaugural ceremony preceding the opening match.
In a much-anticipated move, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is gearing up to unveil the schedule for the upcoming Indian Premier League 2024 season. The announcement, expected on Thursday, will shed light on the fixtures for the first 15 days of the tournament, with the board keeping an eye on the schedule of the central elections slated for this year.
According to previous reports, IPL 2024 was slated to kick off on March 22 and conclude on May 26. This season will witness 74 matches, extending over 67 days compared to the 60-day duration of the 2023 edition. The extension by a week is attributed to the General Elections, reminiscent of the approach taken during the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections when fixtures were released in two phases.
As per reports from News18, the opening clash of IPL 2024 is set to feature Chennai Super Kings locking horns with Royal Challengers Bangalore on March 22 at M. A Chidambaram Stadium. However, the final schedule for the initial fortnight is yet to be confirmed.
Kasi Viswanathan, CEO of the Chennai Super Kings franchise, had hinted at an inaugural ceremony preceding the opening match, a tradition typically reserved for the defending champions. While speculation abounds regarding a potential face-off between Super Kings and Gujarat Titans in the curtain-raiser, no official confirmation has been made.
IPL 2024 schedule hinges on general election dates to avoid overlapping
With the Election Commission poised to unveil the nationwide polling dates between the second and third week of March, the complete IPL schedule hinges on these crucial announcements. Despite the electoral backdrop, the IPL chairman remained optimistic about retaining the tournament within the country, hinting at the possibility of expanding the venue roster beyond the existing ten centres.
“We don’t want to be in a situation where we announce the full IPL schedule and then the security agency informs us that they won’t be available to provide security for the specific venue games. It takes a lot of logistical challenges to change the venue at the last moment, lot of machinery work behind the scenes, and they need time to conduct each IPL game. So we thought let’s wait and announce only the first few games scheduled. We will announce the complete schedule once we get a clear picture of which state will be holding elections on specific dates,” Arun Dhumal had said.
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