(Cricket News) The first IPL 2024 match will take place on March 22 at MA Chidambaram Stadium between the reigning champion Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

The IPL unveiled a provisional schedule on Thursday, which includes 21 matches in the first round, which runs from March 22 to April 7. There will only be five days between the anticipated May 26 IPL final and June 1, when the men’s T20 World Cup will begin in the USA and the Caribbean.

Once the Election Commission of India releases the dates of the national elections, which are anticipated to take place in April and May, the second half of the tournament schedule is anticipated.

The tournament’s first game will kick off at 8 p.m. IST, with the other matches commencing at 7.30 p.m. IST for evening games and 3.30 p.m. IST for the early game on days where there are doubleheaders.

The original schedule calls for four doubleheaders, including two on opening weekend. The day game between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals will take place at home on March 23. Then, at Eden Gardens, Kolkata Knight Riders will host Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The Rajasthan Royals take on the Lucknow Super Giants in their opening match on March 24, while Hardik Pandya’s Mumbai Indians travel to Gujarat Titans, his former team, to play their first game. With the Titans, last year’s runners-up, beginning their campaign two days later, the season opener will not feature both of the previous season’s finalists for the fourth time in six editions.

In the first round of games, Punjab Kings and Titans will play back-to-back games with just one day off in between. Punjab Kings will meet RCB in Bengaluru on March 25 after their home opener on March 23 following Hardik joins the Mumbai Indians, the Titans, captained by Shubman Gill, will travel quickly to Chennai the day following their tournament opener on March 24 in order to play CSK on March 26.

The only team not scheduled to play at Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi is the Capitals; all of their games from March 22 to April 7 will take place at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam. The Delhi and District Cricket Association reportedly told the IPL governing council that it might not have enough time to set up the location by the time the Women’s Premier League final and 11 other matches take place on March 17.

During this 17-day window, the Capitals, Titans, and RCB will play five of their 14 games. All other teams have been scheduled to play four games; KKR has been scheduled to play just three. Instead of their customary home in Mohali, Punjab Kings will now host their home games in a brand-new location in Mullanpur, on the outskirts of Chandigarh.

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