The highly anticipated Indian Premier League (IPL) is slated to kick off on March 22 and will take place entirely within India, despite the concurrent general elections, as confirmed by league chairman Arun Dhumal in an interview with PTI on Tuesday. With the elections expected to occur in April and May, the schedule for the 17th edition of the IPL has been withheld. Dhumal disclosed that initially, only the first 15 days’ schedule will be revealed, with the remaining fixtures to be determined following the announcement of the election dates, anticipated to be early next month.
The decision to keep the IPL within India, despite the electoral timeframe, is a departure from previous occurrences. Only in 2009 did the entire IPL take place overseas, in South Africa, while in 2014, a portion of the tournament was held in the UAE due to the general elections. However, in 2019, the IPL successfully proceeded in India amidst the elections.
Notably, the IPL’s conclusion is expected to intersect with the commencement of the T20 World Cup, possibly culminating in the final match on May 26. Meanwhile, India is set to commence their World Cup campaign against Ireland in New York on June 5, following the tournament’s initiation with a clash between the USA and Canada on June 1.
In keeping with tradition, the IPL opener will feature the previous year’s finalists, with the reigning champions Chennai Super Kings facing off against the runners-up Gujarat Titans. The anticipation for the IPL season was further heightened by the players’ auction held in December of the preceding year, where Australian speedster Mitchell Starc made headlines as the most expensive player in IPL history, securing a deal with the Kolkata Knight Riders for a whopping Rs 24.75 crore.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
