IPL 2024: Fixtures for first two weeks unveiled as countdown to T20 World Cup begins
World’s premier cricketers will feature in the Indian Premier League, which is expected to run from 22 March till the end of May, right on the cusp of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and USA.
Defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will face off against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on 22 March at the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai. The final of the tournament is expected to be played in the final days of May, aligning with the commencement of the T20 World Cup on 1 June.
An initial schedule for the 22 March - 7 April period has been released, which sees four double-headers being played. Two of these will take place during the opening weekend.
During the two weeks, 21 matches will be played across 10 cities. The schedule for the remaining matches of the tournament will be released in due course.
Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, and RCB will play five of their 14 matches in this period. While Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will play only three matches; all the other franchises have been slotted to play four games each.
While India’s premier players will feature in the tournament, it is also an important tournament for cricketers from around the world in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup.
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After his side’s win in the opening T20I against New Zealand in Wellington, Australia head coach Andrew McDonald had called the competition the best in terms of domestic format, and believed that it could aid in the determination of his side’s composition.
“We've got a lot of our players in IPL as well, so we get another look at what certain players are doing in that competition which is probably the biggest connection to international cricket,” McDonald said. “I think it's the best competition in the world, in terms of domestic format.”
“We're not going to get to a final 11 as we sit here, but we'll work through to a 15 and give ourselves as many options in that 15 to negate what the West Indies surfaces will challenge us with.”