The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday announced the rescheduling of two Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 matches -- swapping the dates of the Kolkata Knight Riders versus Rajasthan Royals and that between Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals.
The fixture between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), which was earlier scheduled to take place on 17 April, at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, will now be played a day prior on 16 April. In contrast, the match between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Delhi Capitals, which was earlier scheduled on 16 April at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, will now be played on 17 April.
However, the BCCI did not give any reason for rescheduling the matches, but it could be due to lack of security forces as Ram Navami is on 17 April and general elections are starting from 19 April. The BCCI also didn’t say anything about the match tickets which have already been sold for both the matches.
The BCCI had earlier released the IPL 2024 schedule for the first 21 matches as the dates for the upcoming general elections were not announced. The elections are now set to be held in seven phases from 19 April to 1 June, while the counting of votes will happen on 4 June.
Matches 21 to 50 of IPL 2024 will begin with defending champions CSK taking on two-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in an evening clash at Chennai on 8 April. A highlight of this part of the schedule is CSK meeting Mumbai Indians in a highly-awaited clash at the Wankhede Stadium on 14 April, coinciding with the Tamil New Year Day.
The picturesque HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala and the Barsapara Cricket Ground in Guwahati will also host two IPL matches of its home teams -- Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals, respectively. The Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi will host its first IPL game of this season when Delhi Capitals host 2016 winners Sunrisers Hyderabad on 20 April. Delhi Capitals will host all their remaining five home games in the Capital after playing their first two home games in Visakhapatnam.
Matches getting rescheduled due to security issues is not unusual in India. For instance, to avoid conflict with Kali Puja, the CAB asked the BCCI to reschedule the England vs. Pakistan match from 12 November to 11 November during the ICC Men's ODI World Cup last year.
Nine games, including India against Pakistan, eventually had their dates or start times altered. The BCCI secretary stated at the time that this was because different boards had written to the BCCI regarding logistical problems. Additionally, the New Zealand vs. Pakistan match in Hyderabad was played behind closed doors because the Hyderabad Police expressed its inability to provide security due to Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in the city.
KKR, with two wins in two games, are currently in Visakhapatnam where they face Delhi Capitals on 3 April. Rajasthan Royals with three wins in three matches are positioned on the top and will next face Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on 6 April at Jaipur.
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