The 2024 edition of the IPL gets underway on Friday, and here’s how to watch or stream the tournament, as well as schedule information and the teams involved.
Founded in 2007 by the BCCI, 10-city based franchises battle it out for the ultimate prize, with the IPL firmly establishing itself as the leading tournament in the Twenty20 format.
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With brand value, player value, viewerships, streaming numbers and much more all continuing to rise, the IPL remains a powerhouse not only on the cricket stage but the worldwide sporting stage, and this year’s tournament promises to be another memorable one.
The Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians remain the most successful sides in the competition having lifted the trophy five times each. Virat Kohli leads the way with the most runs in the tournament having racked up 7,263, while Yuzvendra Chahal boasts the title of the leading wicket-taker with 187.
When does the IPL 2024 start?
The first match takes place on Friday March 22, with defending champions, the Chennai Super Kings, hosting Royal Challengers Bangalore, with the match potentially pitting legends MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli against each other.
It gets underway at 14:30 GMT, with matches taking place every day thereafter, up until April 7. The tournament is expected to run until May 26, but this has yet to be confirmed.
IPL 2024 schedule
The fixtures for the first two weeks have been confirmed, with the 10 teams involved split into two groups of five, and they will play 14 group games.
Teams in the same group play each other once, while they play teams from the other group twice, home and away, before the best of the bunch advance to the next stage.
The playoffs will see 1st vs 2nd from the group stage face off for a spot in the final, while 3rd vs 4th will play and the losing side will be eliminated from the tournament. The winner advances to face the loser of the first playoff to try and book their spot in the final.
Group A – Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals, Lucknow Super Giants.
Group B – Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Titans, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Punjab Kings.
The first 21 fixtures of the IPL 2024 season are listed below:
How to watch IPL 2024? Confirmed global broadcasters, streaming
UK: Sky Sports, NOW TV (streaming)
India: Star Sports, Jio Cinema (streaming)
Australia: Fox Sports, Kayo Sports (streaming)
US: Willow TV
You can watch the IPL in the UK on Sky Sports, with coverage expected to be shown across their Sky Sports Cricket, Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Mix channels. You can also watch via a NOW TV pass.
Predictions
The Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians are joint-favourites to win it going into the tournament, with Royal Challengers Bangalore not too far behind in third spot.
However, the Indians have injury concerns to deal with as well as the pressure of trying to return to their dominance after winning five of eight titles between 2013 and 2020. Avoid them this year, with the Super Kings looking a more well-rounded unit and well-placed to successfully defend their crown.
RCB, the Gujarat Titans and the Rajasthan Royals are all in with a shout too, while the latter boast the top contender to land the Orange Cap (leading run scorer), with all eyes on Yashasvi Jaiswal after a superb Test series against England.
Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli will have their say in that contest too no doubt, while Ruturaj Gaikwad joins that trio as the joint-favourites in that market this year.
Meanwhile, with Mohammed Shami ruled out due to injury, the race for the Purple Cap (top wicket-taker) is wide open, with Rashid Khan, Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell Starc leading the betting market.
