IPL 2024 set to commence on March 22: Arun Dhumal

Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to begin on March 22, 2024 and will be held entirely in India despite the coinciding general elections, league chairman Arun Dhumal told Press Trust of India.

The upcoming elections in April and May are the primary reason for the delay in unveiling the schedule for the seventeenth edition of the IPL. Dhumal mentioned that initially, only the schedule for the first 15 days will be disclosed. The remaining games' roster will be determined after the announcement of the general election dates.

The dates of the Lok Sabha polls are likely to be announced early next month. Dhumal added, "We are looking at a March 22 start for the tournament. We are working closely with the government agencies and we will first release the initial schedule. The entire tournament will be held in India."

Following the usual norm, the IPL opener will be played between the last year's finalists, the winners Chennai Super Kings against the runners-up Gujarat Titans.

In 2009, the complete IPL tournament took place outside India (in South Africa), and in 2014, the initial 20 games were held in the UAE due to the general elections in those years. However, in 2019, the entire event occurred in India, even with concurrent elections. The 2020 IPL season and 2021 (partially) was also held outside India in the UAE, both attributed to Covid restrictions in India.

Considering the close proximity of the IPL 2024 season to the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies, the league's final will likely take place on May 26. The ICC event is scheduled to commence on June 1, with India, placed in Group B, starting its campaign on June 5 against Ireland in New York.