IPL 2023 to begin from Mar 31; GT-CSK to lock horns in opener

Indian Premier League 2023 is set to begin on March 31 with a clash between heavyweights Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT). The T20 cricket extravaganza will be played across 12 venues with the Narendra Modi Stadium hosting the opener on March 31 and the final of the tournament will be played on May 28 at the same venue in Ahmedabad. In total 12 venues – Mohali, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Jaipur, Mumbai, Guwahati (Royals’ second home) and Dharamsala (Kings’ second home) will host the IPL 2023 matches. For the first time since 2019, the league will return to its customary home-and-away schedule in India where each team will play a total of 14 games. Each team will have home support, playing at their respective home grounds in seven matches while they will play the remaining seven matches at away venues. The tournament begins five days after the inaugural Women’s Premier League season concludes on March 26 and will feature 70 matches beginning from March 31 to May 21, spanning 12 cities. April begins with a weekend and will witness the season’s first two double-headers. Punjab Kings take on Kolkata Knight Riders, and Lucknow Super Giants play Delhi Capitals on Saturday (April 1); Sunrisers Hyderabad take on Rajasthan Royals, and Royal Challengers Bangalore play Mumbai Indians on Sunday (April 2). The matches will be played on two match timings with the day matches starting at 3:30 PM IST while the night matches beginning at 7:30 PM IST. IPL 2023 will see teams being divided into two groups – Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants in Group A while Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans are in Group B. Hardik Pandya led Gujarat Titans to an IPL title in their inaugural season last year, defeating Rajasthan Royals in the final in Ahmedabad.