The tentative plan for an early start to the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) is influenced by the upcoming general elections in April-May. This adjustment aims to provide players some additional preparation time for the 2024 T20 World Cup with their national teams.
Due to the anticipated early start of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) and the general elections, the 10 selected venues for the IPL will be unavailable for hosting matches starting from February. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has instructed these venues to be prepared for franchise use from the first week of March.
The 2024 Ranji Trophy season is slated to run from January 4 to March 14, creating a situation where state teams will need to find alternative venues for their matches as the IPL franchises will occupy the designated venues from February onwards.
“Usually, once the domestic season is over, the centres concerned get around three weeks or so to freshen up and be prepared for the IPL.This time, because of the parliamentary elections, the IPL is set to begin a little bit earlier,” An official from one of the state associations conveyed this information to The Telegraph on Monday.
“So, the BCCI, very recently, has instructed all the IPL centres to not host any Ranji, club or any other local matches from February onwards.The ground has to be kept ready so that the franchises can begin with their preparations from the first week of March itself,” the official added.
As per an ESPN Cricinfo report, the 2024 season is planned to run from March 22 to the end of May. It’s worth noting that the 2024 T20 World Cup is slated to commence from June 3 onward. The schedule for the IPL tournament will be confirmed and announced once the Election Commission reveals the dates for the General Elections.
The IPL returned to the home-and-away format for the 2023 season
The tournament adopted a restricted venue approach or was entirely held abroad for three seasons from 2020 to 2022 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the entire tournament took place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and in 2021, it was split between India and the Middle East across two different periods.
The 2022 season marked the full return of the tournament to India for the first time since 2019. However, it was limited to a single state. The competition gradually transitioned back to the home-and-away format during the playoffs, signaling a return to normalcy.
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