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With the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) all set to announce the schedule for the first 15 days of IPL 2024 , it is being reported that Delhi Capitals will not be playing their first two home fixtures at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium.
As reported by the Indian Express, the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has written a mail to the BCCI and IPL committee to shift Delhi Capitals opening two fixtures out of the city as the venue will host Women’s Premier League (WPL) matches within 13 days in the second leg of the tournament. “Delhi’s first two games will be moved to Pune and Cuttack, we have informed the BCCI about it,” a DDCA official told the Indian Express.
“The reason is WPL. We will be hosting a total of 11 matches in two weeks and with IPL starting from March 22 the first IPL match in Delhi was supposed to take place on March 24, so we don’t have enough time to prepare pitches. The BCCI has agreed to shift the first two matches and has also given us some breathing space,” he further stated as quoted by the Indian Express.
It is to be noted that the DDCA had to shift the three of their home matches out of Delhi so that the board could prepare pitches for the WPL. Delhi versus Uttarakhand match was moved out to IS Bindra PCA Stadium from Roshanara Club after the ground was sealed by DDA. Moreover, the matches against Baroda and Odisha were also moved.
“We have been struggling with the venues in this season. Out of four home matches, we have played one match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The matches against Baroda and Odisha were moved as we’re preparing pitches for the WPL and now we are facing the same issue with the IPL,” the official further added.
While the second edition of the WPL is scheduled to commence from Friday, February 23 with the defending champions in Mumbai Indians locking horns with Delhi Capitals at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, the IPL 2024 is scheduled to start from March 22. As informed by the IPL Chairman, Arun Dhumal, the BCCI will announce the schedule for only first 15 days, while the other half will be announced once the dates for general elections are confirmed.
