The wait is over as the Board of Control for Cricket for Cricket in India (BCCI) has released the residual schedule of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
The big takeaway from the programme, seen by Cricbuzz, is the confirmation that no matches of the IPL 2024 will be played abroad. All 74 matches have been scheduled in India, with the business end of the competition in Ahmedabad and Chennai.
While the Qualifier 1 and Eliminator will be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera on May 21 and 22, the Qualifier 2 and the final will be played at the Chepauk in Chennai on May 24 and 26. The choice of centres for the playoffs - Ahmedabad and Chennai -- is on the expected lines. With Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans being last year's finalists, their home venues have been chosen for the playoffs with the city of the champions, Chennai, hosting the final. It also hosted the inaugural match of the season.
Having released the dates of the first 21 games in the first lot, the BCCI has prepared a programme with the 22nd game starting straightaway, on Monday, April 8. Like the first part, the second leg also starts with a game involving Chennai Super Kings. The defending champions will play Kolkata Knight Riders at the Chepauk on April 8. It will be a night game.
Cricbuzz was the first to report that IPL 2024 will be staged in India in its entirety, the report coming in the backdrop of speculation that the BCCI was planning a part of the second stage of the league in the UAE. Talking to Cricbuzz, BCCI secretary Jay Shah had denied that possibility and the IPL operation team has come out with a well-made programme based out of all Indian centres.
The challenge before the BCCI was the security concerns in view of the General Elections in the country which will be held across the length and breadth of India in seven phases from April 19 to June 1, with the counting scheduled on June 4. The BCCI has done well to avoid overlaps with the election dates in particular centres in the seven phases while also commendably maintaining the home and away format.
As per the schedule, a couple of games are scheduled at Dharamsala, a traditional second centre of Punjab Kings. The hill town will host the home games of the Punjab franchise, on May 5 (versus Chennai Super Kings, a day game) and May 9 (versus Royal Challengers Bengaluru, a night game). There are also two games in Guwahati, the Rajasthan Royals' preferred second base. They play Punjab Kings on May 15 and Kolkata Knight Riders May 19. Incidentally, the RR-KKR game is the last match of the league phase.
Chennai and Mumbai, the two most successful teams in the league, will meet only once in IPL 2024, in Mumbai on April 14. Meanwhile, Delhi - after hosting the second leg of WPL 2024 - will play their first game at Arun Jaitley Stadium on April 20, against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
CSK is set to play their last home game on May 12 against Rajasthan Royals. Their last league game will be played in Bengaluru six days later. If they fail to qualify for the playoffs, the respective games could be last for MS Dhoni in Chepauk and in the IPL. CSK and Gujarat Titans, who featured in last year's final in Ahmedabad, will meet at the same venue this season on May 10. The big clash between MI and CSK at the Wankhede Stadium has been scheduled for April 14, the Tamil New Year day.
