Kolkata Knight Riders will open their campaign in the 16th edition of the IPL against Punjab Kings in Mohali on April 1.
The Shreyas Iyer-led franchise’s opening match at Eden Gardens, after three years due to the pandemic, will be on April 6 versus Royal Challengers Bangalore.
IPL 2023 will begin on March 31, with defending champions Gujarat Titans taking on Chennai Super Kings in Ahmedabad.
The league will returns to its traditional home-and away format in India for the first time since 2019. The final will also be held in Ahmedabad, on May 28.
The tournament is set to begin five days after the final of the inaugural Women’s Premier League on March 26.
The schedule for the four playoff matches has not been announced yet.
The teams have been divided into two groups like last season. Group A has Mumbai Indians, Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants, while Group B has Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Gujarat Titans, Punjab Kings and Sunrisers hyderabad.
But unlike last season, each team will play the five teams of the other group twice and the other four from their own group once, making it 14 league games per team.
The league phase comprises 70 matches across 52 days from March 31 to May 21, spanning 12 cities, and will feature 18 double-headers.
Twelve venues are set to host the league stage as Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals are scheduled to play two home games each in Dharamshala and Guwahati, respectively.
Royals will play their first two home games in Guwahati — vs Punjab Kings on April 5 and Delhi Capitals on April 8. The 18 double-headers will be held every Saturday and Sunday. The two most successful teams in the history of the IPL, MI and CSK, will meet twice, on April 8 and May 6.
CSK would also be returning to their original home at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. There is wide speculation that captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will quit playing franchise cricket this season and his farewell match will be at CSK’s home venue.
