Produced by: Tarun Mishra
The 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to commence, promising eight weeks of thrilling cricket action.
With the IPL ecosystem valued at a staggering 925 billion rupees in 2023, the league continues to attract substantial investments from sponsors and broadcasters.
The IPL 2024 opening ceremony is scheduled for Friday, March 22, at 6:30 PM IST, broadcasting live on the Star Sports Network in India and streamed via the JioCinema app.
The inaugural clash of IPL 2024 will feature defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) taking on fan favourites Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), MS Dhoni, Moeen Ali, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajay Mandal, Mukesh Choudhary, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Mitchell Santner, Simarjeet Singh, Nishant Sindhu, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Rachin Ravindra, Shardul Thakur, Daryl Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi, Mustafizur Rahman, Avanish Rao Aravelly.
Faf du Plessis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Dagar, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar, Cameron Green, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Tom Curran, Lockie Ferguson, Swapnil Singh, Saurav Chauhan.
In their previous encounters, CSK has emerged victorious in 20 out of 31 matches against RCB, showcasing their dominance in the IPL arena.
CSK's talismanic captain MS Dhoni returns to action after a hiatus, while Shivam Dube gears up as their designated spin-hitter, albeit sans the services of Matheesha Pathirana due to injury.
RCB's Virat Kohli returns to competitive cricket, eyeing a successful stint ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup, with the team banking on his aggressive approach and leadership.
The clash between CSK and RCB will commence at 8 PM IST, promising an exciting showdown under the floodlights.
The MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai traditionally favours spin bowlers, although recent observations suggest a green track, indicating a balanced contest between bat and ball.
Expect sweltering conditions with temperatures reaching 31 degrees Celsius, favouring the team acclimatized to the heat. Despite predictions favouring CSK, RCB's recent momentum could tip the scales in their favour.