Domestic cricket’s grandest event is poised to make its return this week and the anticipation is at its peak! The reigning champions of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), are gearing up to defend their title starting this Friday. Leading the charge will be MS Dhoni’s formidable yellow brigade, as they open the season against Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in a thrilling encounter at the iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Rather than the traditional champions versus runners-up clash, this IPL opener promises to be a showdown between two cricketing legends – Dhoni and Kohli.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has unveiled a partial schedule for the upcoming season, comprising 21 matches slated from March 22 to April 7. Notably, the IPL 2024 final is set for May 26, just five days before the opening match of the ICC World T20 2024 in the United States and Caribbean. The season opener is scheduled for 8 pm IST on March 22, with subsequent games commencing at 7.30 pm. Double-headers will feature a day match starting at 3.30 pm. 

IPL 2024: What is the schedule?

Here’s the partial Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 schedule:

March 22, 8:00 pm IST: CSK vs RCB, Chennai

March 23, 3:30 pm IST: PBKS vs DC, Mohali

March 23, 7:30 pm IST: KKR vs SRH, Kolkata

March 24, 3:30 pm IST: RR vs LSG, Jaipur

March 24, 7:30 pm IST: GT vs MI, Ahmedabad

March 25, 7:30 pm IST: RCB vs PBKS, Bengaluru

March 26, 7:30 pm IST: CSK vs GT, Chennai

March 27, 7:30 pm IST: SRH vs MI, Hyderabad

March 28, 7:30 pm IST: RR vs DC, Jaipur

March 29, 7:30 pm IST: RCB vs KKR, Bengaluru

March 30, 7:30 pm IST: LSG vs PBKS, Lucknow

March 31, 3:30 pm IST: GT vs SRH, Ahmedabad

March 31, 7:30 pm IST: DC vs CSK, Vizag

April 1, 7:30 pm IST: MI vs RR, Mumbai

April 2, 7:30 pm IST: RCB vs LSG, Bengaluru

April 3, 7:30 pm IST: DC vs KKR, Vizag

April 4, 7:30 pm IST: GT vs PBKS, Ahmedabad

April 5, 7:30 pm IST: SRH vs CSK, Hyderabad

April 6, 7:30 pm IST: RR vs RCB, Jaipur

April 7, 3:30 pm IST: MI vs DC, Mumbai

April 7, 7:30 pm IST: LSG vs GT, Lucknow

IPL 2024: Where to watch the match LIVE?

The television broadcast rights for the IPL 2024 season are held by The Star Sports Network. Fans can catch live streams of IPL 2024 games on Jio Cinema.

IPL 2024: Prize money for this season

The BCCI has not yet disclosed the prize money for the 2024 season. In the previous season, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) received Rs 20 crore for clinching the title, while the runners-up, Gujarat Titans, were awarded a prize money of Rs 13 crore.