The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made an announcement on Tuesday regarding the rescheduling of two matches in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. The changes involve swapping the dates for the Kolkata Knight Riders versus Rajasthan Royals and the Gujarat Titans versus Delhi Capitals encounters.
Initially set for April 17 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, the fixture between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) will now take place a day earlier on April 16. Conversely, the match between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Delhi Capitals, initially scheduled for April 16 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, has been moved to April 17.
Although the BCCI did not provide explicit reasons for the changes, it's speculated that security concerns surrounding events like Ram Navami on April 17 and the commencement of general elections from April 19 might have influenced the decision. The statement from BCCI also didn't address the issue of already sold match tickets for both encounters.
The IPL 2024 schedule for the first 21 matches had been released earlier by the BCCI, prior to the announcement of the election dates. The general elections are now slated to occur in seven phases from April 19 to June 1, with vote counting scheduled for June 4.
The forthcoming matches of IPL 2024 will witness defending champions CSK squaring off against two-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in an evening showdown at Chennai on April 8. Notably, a much-anticipated clash between CSK and Mumbai Indians is set to occur at the Wankhede Stadium on April 14, coinciding with Tamil New Year Day.
Moreover, the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala and the Barsapara Cricket Ground in Guwahati will host two IPL matches for their respective home teams - Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals. The Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi is also slated to host its inaugural IPL match of the season, with Delhi Capitals locking horns with 2016 winners Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 20. Delhi Capitals will play all their remaining five home games in the Capital after their first two home games in Visakhapatnam.
Rescheduling of matches due to security concerns is not uncommon in India. For instance, during the ICC Men's ODI World Cup last year, the CAB requested BCCI to reschedule the England vs. Pakistan match from November 12 to November 11 to avoid conflict with Kali Puja. Eventually, nine games, including India against Pakistan, had their dates or start times altered due to logistical issues raised by different boards. Additionally, the New Zealand vs. Pakistan match in Hyderabad was played behind closed doors because the Hyderabad Police cited security challenges during Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in the city.
Presently, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) with two wins in two games are in Visakhapatnam, gearing up to face Delhi Capitals on April 3. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals, leading with three wins in three matches, are positioned at the top and are scheduled to face Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on April 6 at Jaipur.
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