Gujarat Titans will face CSK in IPL 2023 opener: Details
Defending champions Gujarat Titans will face Chennai Super Kings on March 31 in the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. The opening clash will be held in Ahmedabad. Meanwhile, there will be a double-header on April 1 (Saturday) with Punjab Kings taking on Kolkata Knight Riders in the first game followed by a clash between Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals.
RCB to face Mumbai on April 2
Meanwhile, April 2 (Sunday) also sees a double-header as 2016 champions Sunrisers Hyderabad face last year's finalists Rajasthan Royals in their first game of the season. On the same day, Royal Challengers Bangalore will be facing Mumbai Indians.
70 league games in IPL 2023
As per Cricbuzz, in total, there will be 70 league games that include 18 double headers. The IPL 2023 will return to its familiar home and away format with all ten teams scheduled to play seven games at their home venue and seven away.
IPL 2023 league stage will conclude on May 21
The IPL 2023 league stage will conclude on May 21. There will be 12 venues that will host the league stage as Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals are scheduled to play two home games each in Dharamshala and Guwahati respectively. The last time the entire IPL season was staged in its traditional home and away format was back in 2019.
What happened across the last three seasons?
The IPL 2020 edition was completely held in the UAE behind closed doors. After that, the 2021 edition was held in India but had to be abruptly halted as a result of COVID-19 with the second half of the season being held in the UAE. IPL 2022 was held in India but the tournament was restricted to a limited number of venues.
Gujarat Titans beat Rajasthan Royals to win IPL 2022
Debutants Gujarat Titans beat Rajasthan Royals to win the IPL 2022 title. Opting to bat first, RR posted 130/9 in 20 overs. Jos Buttler scored 39 for RR as GT skipper Hardik Pandya claimed figures worth 3/17. In response, GT were 23/2 before they kept calm and got the job done (133/3). Notably, both these sides had finished top two in the league standings.
