Reports: WPL to be held in Bengaluru and New Delhi; IPL 2024 expected to start on March 22

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is scheduled to start on March 22 and will be contested in a home-and-away format.

Notwithstanding the upcoming general elections, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has made the decision to coordinate the schedule of the various sites in order to celebrate the entire subcontinental competition.

Interestingly, the entire tournament was moved to South Africa in 2009 for the general elections, whereas in 2014 it began in the United Arab Emirates for the first 20 matches and continued in India following the elections. The subcontinent hosted the entire tournament in 2019 in spite of the elections, and the governing body is once again preparing for a similar event.

According to Dainik Jagran, BCCI secretary Jay Shah is collaborating closely with federal and state agencies to ensure flawless competition. Although there are many important factors to consider, security is one of them. As in 2019, it is anticipated that the games won’t conflict with the cities holding elections at that specific time.

Conversely, it is anticipated that Bengaluru and New Delhi will host the Women’s Premier League’s (WPL) second season. In March 2023, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai hosted the first edition. Currently, BCCI wants to expand it to new locations in order to strengthen it. Uttar Pradesh was leading the race earlier because it was previously announced that one state would host the tournament; however, the BCCI has since revised its position on the subject.

It is said that the competition will begin in the final week of February and conclude before the 17th IPL season kicks off. In the meantime, WPL will not take place during the approaching general elections. It is anticipated to happen sometime between late March and May, even though the election commission hasn’t announced a specific date.

The timetable for both tournaments is being worked on by the governing body as well, and it is anticipated to be finalized soon after the election commission announces the general election dates.