The much-anticipated cricket tournament, Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 is set to begin on March 22. League chairman Arun Dhumal confirmed that all the matches of the cash-rich tournament will be held in India despite the dates coinciding with general elections. With the elections slated to be held in April and May, the schedule for the IPL 2024 season has not been officially unveiled yet.

Speaking to PTI, Dhumal revealed that only the schedule for the first 15 days will be announced initially while the roster for the remaining games will be decided after the announcement of the general election dates. The dates of the Lok Sabha polls are expected to be announced early next month. 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, said Dhumal.

Only in 2009, the IPL tournament, in its entirety, was held outside India (South Africa) while in 2014, the opening 20 games were held in the UAE due to the general elections. However, in 2019, the entire event was held in India despite the elections.

Considering the T20 World Cup begins within days of the IPL’s conclusion, the mega event’s final is likely to be held on May 26. India will play their opening World Cup fixture against Ireland in New York on June 5 while the ICC showpiece begins with the USA and Canada clash on June 1. The IPL 2024 opener will be played between last year’s winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and runners-up Gujarat Titans (GT).