The BCCI on Thursday announced the Indian Premier League (IPL) schedule for the first 15 days, with defending champions Chennai Super Kings taking on the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the opener. The partial schedule was announced due to the General Elections clashing with the IPL; the Election Commission is expected to announce the schedule for nationwide polls mid-March, following which the rest of the fixture list for the IPL will be revealed.
MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings had defeated the Gujarat Titans in last year’s IPL Final, and it was revealed beforehand that the men in yellow will take part in the opening match. With RCB confirmed as their opponents, the opener will see the battle of India’s two stalwarts, Dhoni and Virat Kohli.
Some of the mouth-watering clashes in the initial fixture list include Hardik Pandya’s return to Ahmedabad on March 24, as he dons the Mumbai Indians colours against former franchise Gujarat Titans. Lucknow Super Giants, meanwhile, will take on the RCB in Bengaluru on April 2.
Take a look at the franchise-wise fixture list spanning the first 15 days of the tournament:
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Fixtures:
March 22: CSK vs RCB in Chennai
March 26: CSK vs GT in Chennai
March 31: DC vs CSK in Visakhapatnam
April 5: SRH vs CSK in Hyderabad
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Fixtures:
March 22: CSK vs RCB in Chennai
March 25: RCB vs PBKS in Bengaluru
March 29: RCB vs KKR in Bengaluru
April 2: RCB vs LSG in Bengaluru
April 6: RR vs RCB in Jaipur
Punjab Kings (PBKS) Fixtures:
March 23: PBKS vs DC in Mullanpur
March 25: RCB vs PBKS in Bengaluru
March 30: LSG vs PBKS in Lucknow
April 4: GT vs PBKS in Ahmedabad
Delhi Capitals (DC) Fixtures:
March 23: PBKS vs DC in Mullanpur
March 28: RR vs DC in Jaipur
March 31: DC vs CSK in Visakhapatnam
April 3: DC vs KKR in Visakhapatnam
April 7: MI vs DC in Mumbai
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Fixtures:
March 23: KKR vs SRH in Kolkata
March 29: RCB vs KKR in Bengaluru
April 3: DC vs KKR in Visakhapatnam
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) Fixtures:
March 23: KKR vs SRH in Kolkata
March 27: SRH vs MI in Hyderabad
March 31: GT vs SRH in Ahmedabad
April 5: SRH vs CSK in Hyderabad
Rajasthan Royals (RR) Fixtures:
March 24: RR vs LSG in Jaipur
March 28: RR vs DC in Jaipur
April 1: MI vs RR in Mumbai
April 6: RR vs RCB in Jaipur
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) Fixtures:
March 24: RR vs LSG in Jaipur
March 30: LSG vs PBKS in Lucknow
April 2: RCB vs LSG in Bengaluru
April 7: LSG vs GT in Lucknow
Gujarat Titans (GT) Fixtures:
March 24: GT vs MI in Ahmedabad
March 26: CSK vs GT in Chennai
March 31: GT vs SRH in Ahmedabad
April 4: GT vs PBKS in Ahmedabad
April 7: LSG vs GT in Lucknow
Mumbai Indians (MI) Fixtures:
March 24: GT vs MI in Ahmedabad
March 27: SRH vs MI in Hyderabad
April 1: MI vs RR in Mumbai
April 7: MI vs DC in Mumbai