IPL 2024: The IPL fever is set to begin from March 23, 2024. The Board of Control for Cricket in India has announced the match schedule only for the first 15 days of the tournament. Information about other matches will be shared after the announcement of dates for the Lok Sabha Elections.
The opening match is between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore which will be played at Chepauk. While there have been a few changes such as Mumbai Indians have a new captain in Hardik Pandya and Gujarat Titans is now being headed by Shubman Gill, some other things have not changed such as MS Dhoni being the captain of Chennai Super Kings.
There are speculations that this season will be Dhoni’s last season as the Chennai Super Kings captain had earlier expressed that winning the IPL in 2023 would have been an ideal moment for his retirement. However, he now intends to return for one final season, which happens to be this year. It is likely that this will be Captain Cool’s last hurrah in the IPL.
The two star-batters, Virat Kohli and Faf Du Plessis will have hopes pinned on them to end the trophy drought. RCB has made it to the IPL finals on three occasions, in 2009, 2011, and 2016, only to lose each time to different opponents: Deccan Chargers, Chennai Super Kings, and Royal Challengers Bangalore, respectively.
Despite boasting a star-studded roster of both seasoned domestic and international players over the years, including the likes of Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, Anil Kumble, and Zaheer Khan, RCB has yet to clinch the IPL trophy.
South Africa’s Faf du plessis will maintain his role as the captain of RCB in the IPL 2024 season, a position he assumed after taking over from Virat Kohli last year.
Virat Kohli, the former captain of RCB, has been absent from the game for a significant period due to family responsibilities. His decision to skip the India vs England Test series has sparked speculation about his participation in the upcoming Indian Premier League season. Originally named in the squad for the Test series, Kohli withdrew right before the series opener in Hyderabad. Sunil Gavaskar’s comments at an event have stirred speculation about Virat Kohli’s IPL participation. Despite no official word from Kohli or RCB, fans are contemplating his absence.