BCCI Unveils Full Schedule for 19th Edition of Indian Premier League

New Delhi. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday made public the complete schedule for the 19th edition of the world's most popular cricket league, the Indian Premier League (IPL). According to the newly released schedule, this time the two giant teams of cricket, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, will compete twice during the league stage.

The tournament will begin on March 28, where defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the opening match. While the BCCI had previously released the schedule for only a part of the season, it has now finalized the dates and venues for all league stage matches, excluding the playoffs.

This year, the teams have been divided into two groups based on the number of titles they have won. Group 'A' includes Chennai (5 titles), Kolkata Knight Riders (3), Rajasthan Royals (1), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (1), and Punjab Kings. Group 'B' includes Mumbai (5), Sunrisers Hyderabad (1), Gujarat Titans (1), Delhi Capitals, and Lucknow Super Giants.

The format of the matches has been changed this time in the IPL. For the past three years, the rule was that teams in the same group would play each other twice, and teams from the other group only once. However, this year, that has been reversed, with teams in the same group playing each other once and teams from the other group twice. Because of this rule, two matches between Mumbai and Chennai are scheduled: one on April 23 in Mumbai and another on May 2 in Chennai. Similarly, there will also be two matches between Mumbai and Bengaluru: one on April 12 in Mumbai and another on May 10 in Raipur.

The 70 league stage matches of the tournament will be held at 12 different venues across India. This time, Bengaluru has chosen Raipur as its second home ground, and the venue in Dharamshala has also returned to the schedule. Last year, due to border tensions between India and Pakistan, the match between Delhi and Punjab could not be held in Dharamshala, but this year these two teams will clash at the same venue on May 11.

According to the schedule, there will be 12 afternoon matches, with Punjab, Hyderabad, and Delhi having to play the maximum of three afternoon matches each. The league stage of the tournament will run until May 24, with the final match likely to be held on May 31.

The BCCI has not yet announced the official dates and venues for the playoffs and the final match. This cricket extravaganza, starting on March 28, will entertain cricket fans worldwide for the next two months.