March 22 will see the return of India’s favourite sporting spectacle – the Indian Premier League – with ten teams taking part in the 17th edition of the tournament.
Royal Challengers Bangalore kick off this season, hoping to finally break their trophyless streak, taking on defending champions Chennai Super Kings who won their fifth trophy last year.
Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are tied for the most tournament wins, with both teams looking to go outright top this season.
The Friday clash between Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s teams will see the start of a packed season with 74 games, including playoffs.
So far, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has only unveiled an initial schedule for the first two weeks, which will see 21 matches take place between March 22 and April 7.
Further dates are set to be announced as the BCCI coordinates with the Election Commission in light of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, set to be held between April 19 and June 1.
With the elections being held in seven phases, the cricketing body is looking to finalise the rest of the schedule after consulting with the government and security agencies.
Delhi Capitals will be playing the matches in the first schedule at Visakhapatnam, with pitch concerns in their home ground at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, which recently hosted the Women’s Premier League.
The first few days of the tournament will see four double headers with evening matches starting at 7:30 pm.
The IPL final is slated for May 26, leaving only a five-day buffer before the T20 World Cup commences in the USA and West Indies.
This is not the first time an IPL-election clash has occurred, with 2019’s general elections also overlapping with the league. BCCI took a similar approach five years ago, too, releasing only the initial two weeks’ schedule revealed first. The remaining matches were announced later.
Take a look at the franchise-wise fixture list spanning the first 15 days of the tournament:
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Fixtures:
March 22: CSK vs RCB in Chennai
March 26: CSK vs GT in Chennai
March 31: DC vs CSK in Visakhapatnam
April 5: SRH vs CSK in Hyderabad
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Fixtures:
March 22: CSK vs RCB in Chennai
March 25: RCB vs PBKS in Bengaluru
March 29: RCB vs KKR in Bengaluru
April 2: RCB vs LSG in Bengaluru
April 6: RR vs RCB in Jaipur
Punjab Kings (PBKS) Fixtures:
March 23: PBKS vs DC in Mullanpur
March 25: RCB vs PBKS in Bengaluru
March 30: LSG vs PBKS in Lucknow
April 4: GT vs PBKS in Ahmedabad
Delhi Capitals (DC) Fixtures:
March 23: PBKS vs DC in Mullanpur
March 28: RR vs DC in Jaipur
March 31: DC vs CSK in Visakhapatnam
April 3: DC vs KKR in Visakhapatnam
April 7: MI vs DC in Mumbai
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Fixtures:
March 23: KKR vs SRH in Kolkata
March 29: RCB vs KKR in Bengaluru
April 3: DC vs KKR in Visakhapatnam
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) Fixtures:
March 23: KKR vs SRH in Kolkata
March 27: SRH vs MI in Hyderabad
March 31: GT vs SRH in Ahmedabad
April 5: SRH vs CSK in Hyderabad
Rajasthan Royals (RR) Fixtures:
March 24: RR vs LSG in Jaipur
March 28: RR vs DC in Jaipur
April 1: MI vs RR in Mumbai
April 6: RR vs RCB in Jaipur
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) Fixtures:
March 24: RR vs LSG in Jaipur
March 30: LSG vs PBKS in Lucknow
April 2: RCB vs LSG in Bengaluru
April 7: LSG vs GT in Lucknow
Gujarat Titans (GT) Fixtures:
March 24: GT vs MI in Ahmedabad
March 26: CSK vs GT in Chennai
March 31: GT vs SRH in Ahmedabad
April 4: GT vs PBKS in Ahmedabad
April 7: LSG vs GT in Lucknow
Mumbai Indians (MI) Fixtures:
March 24: GT vs MI in Ahmedabad
March 27: SRH vs MI in Hyderabad
April 1: MI vs RR in Mumbai
April 7: MI vs DC in Mumbai
