"IPL 2024 schedule will be announced in 2 halves" - Chairman Arun Dhumal provides a crucial update regarding the upcoming season

Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Arun Dhumal has stated that the upcoming season is set to begin from March 22 onwards, attempting to weave its way through the 2024 Lok Sabha general elections.

The league has had to make some adjustments to its planning in the past since the elections were being held simultaneously. The matches were shifted overseas during the 2009 and the 2014 editions, while the schedule was unveiled in two halves when the league last coincided with the general elections in 2019.

The BCCI officials have been adamant about conducting the entirety of the 2024 edition in India itself despite the logistics and other challenges it might bring. Security is also being touted as a major concern, but as of now, the league is taking the 2019 route, where they will announce the schedule in two halves, with the latter half of fixtures being released when the government announces the dates for the general election.

"BCCI is planning to start IPL 2024 from March 22. IPL 2024 schedule will be announced in two halves. The schedule for the first half will be announced and then the schedule for the other half will be announced after the announcement of general election dates," Arun Dhumal told ANI.

Should the IPL commence from March 22 onwards, it will result in a short 10-day break for the Indian players as they are involved in the five-match Test series against England until March 11.

It is also to be noted that the second season of the Women's Premier League (WPL) is scheduled to take place from February 23 to March 17 in Delhi and Bangalore.

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"We thought let’s wait and announce only the first few games scheduled" - Arun Dhumal

According to Arun Dhumal, only the fixtures for the first 10 to 12 matches will be announced first, with the remainder being revealed only after the government names which states will contest elections on what particular date.

The league will be careful not to hold matches in a state where elections are being held, as it will lead to several issues. The 2019 edition also began a bit earlier than usual (March 23), but this time around there are additional factors to consider.

Firstly, the number of matches has increased due to the league's expansion to 10 teams. Furthermore, the league also has to wrap up in time for the players to prepare for the 2024 T20 World Cup, which takes place in June.

“We don’t want to be in a situation where we announce the full IPL schedule and then the security agency informs us that they won’t be available to provide security for the specific venue games,” Arun Dhumal told the Indian Express.

“It takes a lot of logistical challenges to change the venue at the last moment, lot of machinery work behind the scenes, and they need time to conduct each IPL game. So we thought let’s wait and announce only the first few games scheduled. We will announce the complete schedule once we get a clear picture of which state will be holding elections on specific dates," he added.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are the defending champions after winning the 2023 edition to claim their record-equalling fifth IPL title.