The 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to commence in Chennai, and as previously reported by Cricbuzz, the launch is scheduled for March 22. Multiple officials associated with the IPL confirmed to Cricbuzz about the same.
"The league will kick off on March 22 in Chennai," informed IPL chairman Arun Singh Dhumal.
Kasi Viswanathan, the CEO of Chennai Super Kings franchise, has revealed to Cricbuzz that the IPL has planned an inaugural ceremony before the match. Chennai has the privilege of hosting the inaugural event by virtue of being the defending champions.
Traditionally, the opening match has featured the finalists of the previous season, suggesting it could be between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans. However, neither Dhumal nor Viswanathan could confirm whether the March 22 contest would follow this age-old practice.
"It has not been finalized yet," stated Dhumal, while Viswanathan added, "We have no information about the opponents as of now."
Nevertheless, it cannot be ruled out that the Titans will be involved in the opening match. Dhumal mentioned that the IPL will release a partial schedule in the next couple of days, with the full schedule to follow after the Election Commission of India announces the General Election dates. "Initially, we will announce the programme for the first 10-12 days," Dhumal mentioned.
The Election Commission is expected to announce the nationwide polling dates between the second and third week of March, based on which the full IPL schedule will be finalized. The IPL chairman expressed confidence that the league will not have to be moved out of the country to avoid clashes with the elections and there may be more centres involved than just 10.
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