IPL 2023 Schedule: Gujarat Titans-Chennai Super Kings kick-start proceedings from March 31

The IPL 2023 schedule has been revealed, as the 16th season gets underway from March 31, with defending champion Gujarat Titans kicking things off against Chennai Super Kings. The event would be played across 12 venues.

Image credit: PTI

The countdown has begun for India's ultimate cricketing festival, as the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to get underway on March 31. First-time defending champion Gujarat Titans (GT), which won the title on its debut last season, will set the ball rolling for the 16th season of India's premier Twenty20 (T20) domestic tournament against former four-time champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

The competition will happen across 12 venues: Ahmedabad, Mohali, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Jaipur, Mumbai, Guwahati and Dharamsala. Record five-time former champion Mumbai Indians (MI) would begin its campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on April 2.

The event would have 70 contests and will also include 18 double-headers. May 21 will host the final league-stage fixture, while the grand finale will take place in Ahmedabad on May 28. The teams have once again been classified into a couple of groups:
Group A: Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants.
Group B: Chennai Super Kings, Punjab Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Titans.

"April 1, 2023, will be the first double-header day of the season, where Punjab Kings will square off against Kolkata Knight Riders in Mohali, and Lucknow Super Giants will take on Delhi Capitals in Lucknow. The IPL 2023 will have 18 double-headers, with the day games starting at 3:30 PM IST and the evening games starting at 07:30 PM IST," announced IPL in its release.

"Rajasthan Royals will play their first two home games in Guwahati before playing the remainder of their home games in Jaipur. Punjab Kings will play their five home matches in Mohali and their last two in Dharamshala against Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals, respectively. The schedule and venues for the Playoffs and Final will be announced later," added IPL's release.

Check out IPL 2023 complete schedule here