IPL: GT begin title defence against CSK on 31 March as league unveils schedule for 2023 edition

Defending champions Gujarat Titans and four-time winners Chennai Super Kings are set to kick off the 16th edition of the the Indian Premier League (IPL), the schedule of which was announced on Friday.

According to an official release from the BCCI, The opening game of this year’s IPL will take place on 31 March, five days after the final game of the inaugural Women’s Premier League, with Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium hosting both the opening game as well as the final, which will take place on 28 May.

Incidentally, it was at this very venue where the Titans defeated Rajasthan Royals in the summit clash last year to win the title on debut.

The GT-CSK clash will be followed by a double-header on 1 April — Punjab Kings taking on Kolkata Knight Riders in the afternoon clash followed by Lucknow Super Giants facing Delhi Capitals in the evening clash. The 2 April double header then features Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals in the afternoon, with five-time champions Mumbai Indians taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore in the evening clash.

Schedule for Lucknow, Gujarat, Punjab & Delhi in IPL 2023. pic.twitter.com/zUmc7KPyOm

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 17, 2023

The tournament also returns to its traditional home-and-away format for the first time since the 2019 edition, with 12 venues set to host matches this year with Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals scheduled to play two home games each in Dharamsala and Guwahati respectively.

There will be a total of 52 round-robin matches. While the weekdays will feature one match, double headers are scheduled every Saturday and Sunday.

The league matches end on May 21, with a tie between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Titans in Bengaluru. A total of 70 league stage matches will be played across 12 venues over the course of 52 days.

The IPL 2023 will have 18 double headers, with the day games starting at 3:30 PM and the evening matches beginning at 07:30 in the evening.

With inputs from PTI

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