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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will be deciding the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) schedule after the dates for the 18th Lok Sabha Elections are announced and will work closely with central government and security agencies, following all necessary protocols and advisories related to the upcoming polls.
The 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will start on March 22, with defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) set to clash with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in a South Indian derby at their home arena--MA Chidambaram Stadium. The schedule till April 7 has been revealed as of now, with the remainder to be announced later because of the upcoming Lok Sabha Polls the dates for which are yet to be notified. A statement from the league said that the remainder of the schedule will be announced after the dates of elections are announced and the board will also review and address any issues regarding the schedule of the first two weeks. "As in the past, the BCCI will work closely with government and security agencies, following all necessary protocols and advisories related to the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections in India. Once the dates for the 18th Lok Sabha elections are announced, the Board will review and address any issues pertaining to the schedule of the first two weeks. Subsequently, the BCCI will work in tandem with local authorities to finalize the schedule for the remainder of the season, taking into account the polling dates," said the statement from IPL. However, much to the delight of the IPL fans, four doubleheaders have been scheduled within this time frame. Last year's runners-up Gujarat Titans and five-time champions Mumbai Indians will square off against each other in a mouth-watering clash on March 24 at Ahmedabad. The fixture has gained a lot of hype because of star all-rounder Hardik Pandya's move to his former franchise MI following two great seasons with GT, which saw him win the trophy with the side as captain in their debut season back in 2022. Pandya will be leading MI this time, replacing Rohit Sharma while Shubman Gill has taken over the captaincy of GT. On the same day, Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants will be starting their campaign at Jaipur. Delhi Capitals will be playing their home fixtures at Vizag on March 31 and April 3 against CSK and Kolkata Knight Riders respectively. Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium will not be available to host the matches just days after hosting the Women's Premier League final on March 17. In what will be the first-ever double-header on March 23, Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals will launch their campaign against each other at Mohali while two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders will get their campaign underway in Kolkata. (ANI)
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