The BCCI has only released the schedule for the first 21 matches until April 7th, as the dates for India's general elections have not been announced yet.
The opening match of IPL 2024 will take place on March 22 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, where defending champions Chennai Super Kings will host Royal Challengers Bangalore.
The IPL has released a partial schedule of 21 matches between March 22 and April 7. The IPL final is scheduled for May 26, with only five days between that and the opening match of the men's T20 World Cup, which will be held in the USA and the Caribbean from June 1.
The schedule for the second half of the tournament is pending until the Election Commission of India announces the dates for the national elections, which are anticipated to occur in April and May.
The opening match of the tournament will start at 8 pm IST. All other matches will follow the usual schedule: 19:30 IST for evening matches and 15:30 IST for early matches on double-header days.
The initial schedule includes four double-headers, including two on the opening weekend. On 23 March, Punjab Kings will play the day match at home against Delhi Capitals. This will be followed by Kolkata Knight Riders hosting Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens.
On 24 March, Rajasthan Royals will play their first match against Lucknow Super Giants, while Hardik Pandya's Mumbai Indians will open on the road against Gujarat Titans, his former team. This year's season opener will not feature both finalists from the previous season for the fourth time in six editions. Last year's runners-up, Titans, will kickstart their campaign two days later.
In the initial set of games, Punjab Kings and Titans will play two back-to-back matches with only a day's break. After their first home match on 23 March, Punjab Kings will be on the road to Bengaluru for a clash with RCB on 25 March. Titans, led by Shubman Gill following Hardik's move to Mumbai Indians, will travel to Chennai a day after their tournament opener on 24 March to take on CSK on 26 March.
The Capitals are the only franchise that will not play any games at their home ground, Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla, between March 22 and April 7. These two games will be held at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam. The Delhi and District Cricket Association has informed the IPL governing council that it may not have enough time to prepare the venue. It has to host 11 Women's Premier League matches, including the final, by March 17.
In that 17-day window, Capitals, Titans, and RCB will play five of their 14 matches. KKR will only play three matches, while all other franchises have been scheduled to play four games. Punjab Kings will host their matches at a new venue in Mullanpur, on the outskirts of Chandigarh, instead of their traditional home in Mohali.
The opening day of the tournament will mark the return of MS Dhoni, who is set to arrive in Chennai in the first week of March to resume training with his team. After leading CSK to victory over Titans in a rain-hit two-day final in Ahmedabad last season, he underwent knee surgery and has not played competitive cricket since. The tournament will also mark Hardik Pandya's return to Mumbai Indians, this time as captain, after two seasons with Titans, whom he led to a title win in their first year. Rishabh Pant is also expected to make a comeback to competitive cricket after being out of action due to a serious car accident in December 2022.
A total of 74 games, including four playoff matches, will be played.
H2: IPL 2024 schedule - March 22 to April 7
March 22 - CSK vs RCB in Chennai
March 23 - PBKS vs DC in Mohali
March 23 - KKR vs SRH in Kolkata
March 24 - RR vs LSG in Jaipur
March 24 - GT vs MI in Ahmedabad
March 25 - RCB vs PBKS in Bengaluru
March 26 - CSK vs GT in Chennai
March 27 - SRH vs MI in Hyderabad
March 28 - RR vs DC in Jaipur
March 29 - RCB vs KKR in Bengaluru
March 30 - LSG vs PBKS in Lucknow
March 31 - GT vs SRH in Ahmedabad
March 31 - DC vs CSK in Visakhapatnam
April 1 - MI vs RR in Mumbai
April 2 - RCB vs LSG in Bengaluru
April 3 - DC vs KKR in Visakhapatnam
April 4 - GT vs PBKS in Ahmedabad
April 5 - SRH vs CSK in Hyderabad
April 6 - RR vs RCB in Jaipur
April 7 - MI vs DC in Mumbai
April 7 - LSG vs GT in Lucknow