Harpal Singh Bedi
New Delhi, 17 February: Defending champions Gujarat Titans will take on Chennai Super Kings in the opener of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) at Ahmedabad on 31 March.
The final will also be played in Ahmedabad, on May 28.
The 10- teams have been divided into two groups like last season. Group A has Mumbai, Knight Riders, Royals, Capitals and Super Giants, while Group B has Super Kings, Royal Challengers, Titans, Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Each team will play the five teams of the other group twice and the other four from their own group once, making it 14 league games per team.
The opening weekend will see all ten teams in action: Besides Titans vs CSK on Friday, Punjab Kings take on Kolkata Knight Riders in Mohali, and Lucknow Super Giants play Delhi Capitals in Lucknow on Saturday (April 1);
Sunrisers Hyderabad take on Rajasthan Royals in Hyderabad, and Royal Challengers Bangalore play Mumbai Indians in Bengaluru on Sunday (April 2).
The schedule for the four playoff matches has not been announced yet, though Ahmedabad has been named as the venue for the title
The league phase comprising 70 matches across 52 days from March 31 to May 21, will be played in 12 cities, and will feature 18 double-headers.
Apart from the ten regular venues – Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Mohali – some matches will be played in Guwahati (Royals’ second home), and Dharamsala (Kings’ second home).
Royals will play their first two home games in Guwahati and the remaining five in Jaipur. Kings, on the other hand, will play their first five home matches in Mohali and their last two home games in Dharamsala.
There will be a total of 18 double-headers during the league phase – every Saturday and Sunday.
Mumbai and Super Kings, will meet twice, on April 8 and May 6, with the second of those fixtures the 1000th match in the IPL since its inception in 2008.
Super Kings, will return to their original home at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, or Chepauk, in Chennai.
Last year the tournament was played in the March-May window but the entire league phase was played at venues in Mumbai and Pune, and the playoffs and final in Kolkata and Ahmedabad.