Mumbai, Feb 22 : Defending champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will host Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the M.A Chidambaram Stadium. With the General Elections up ahead, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the schedule for the first two weeks of the IPL 2024, commencing from March 22 to April 7.

The partial schedule released on Thursday by IPL comprises 21 matches, to be played across 10 cities, with each team playing a minimum of three matches and a maximum of five. However, as per this schedule, there will only be five days between the anticipated May 26 IPL final and June 1, when the men's T20 World Cup will begin in the USA and the Caribbean.

Once the Election Commission of India releases the dates of the General Elections, which are anticipated to take place in April and May, the second half of the tournament schedule will be released.

Over these 17 days, the 14 games are scheduled for the Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, and RCB. While all other teams are been scheduled to play four games each, KKR will play only three. Punjab Kings' home games will probably no longer be held at their customary location in Mohali, but rather at a brand-new location in Mullanpur, on the outskirts of Chandigarh.

The partial schedule includes four double-headers including two on opening weekend -- on March 23 Punjab Kings will play the day match against Delhi Capitals at home followed by Kolkata Knight Riders hosting Sunrisers Hyderabad at Eden Gardens.

On March 24, Rajasthan Royals will play their first game, an afternoon match, against Lucknow Super Giants, and the same evening, Gujarat Titans, the 2022 champions and finalists of the last season, will play their first match, hosting five-time champions Mumbai Indians in Ahmedabad.

Capitals are the only franchise that won't play any games at their home ground, Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium, in the March 22-April 7 period; both those games will be held at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam.

Meanwhile, the return of stalwarts like MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, and Rishabh Pant adds an extra layer of intrigue to the proceedings, promising moments of brilliance and sheer cricketing magic.

With 74 games on the cards, including four playoff encounters, the IPL 2024 season will kick off on March 22.

More to follow'.

/IANS