The latest iteration of the Indian Premier League will be flanked on one side by the Women's Premier League and on another by the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup, with little room for manoeuvring, says a report
The Indian Premier League (IPL) will return for its 17th iteration on March 22, 2024, five days after the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024 final - according to a report by Cricbuzz. The dates for the Indian cricket T20 tournament will vary in accordance with the 2024 Indian General Elections, which are proposed to take place in the first half of this year. (Cricket News)
Furthermore, the competition will run for more than two months, with the grand final reportedly set to take place on May 26, 2024. Days later, the India national cricket team will be among the 22 to fly to the West Indies and the United States of America to partake in the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup 2024. India are scheduled to play Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, and the USA in the first stage of the competition.
Additionally, according to the report, the second season of the WPL will take place in Bengaluru and Delhi, moving away from the one-city format, from February 22 to March 17.
In previous election years, the BCCI has resorted to extreme means, such as hosting the tournament - wholly and partially - outside India. But, says Cricbuzz, the Indian cricket board is confident of holding the entirety of the competition within the national peripheries and is coordinating with several national boards to ensure the availability of players participating in it.
The IPL has usually followed the same window of early summer months. To that end, the 2023 version of the tournament began on March 31, 2023, and went on until May 29.