The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will begin on March 31 in Ahmedabad, when reigning champions Gujarat Titans face four-time champions Chennai Super Kings. India’s premier T20 event began in 2008 and has seen various alterations since then. The home and away system will be reinstated for the following season. Below are some additional details regarding the tournament.
The IPL 2023 season will begin on March 31, and the league stage will last until May 21. On double-header days, the afternoon matches will begin at 3:30 PM, while the evening games will begin at 7:30 PM. A total of 70 league-stage matches will be contested in 12 different sites over the course of 52 days. The final will take place in Ahmedabad on May 28.
Return of the home and away format
As previously stated, the IPL 2023 will return to the traditional home-away format after three years. The 2020 IPL was held behind closed doors in the UAE because of the epidemic. In 2021, the first half was held in Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Chennai before shifting to the UAE due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Last season, the tournament was held across four venues in Mumbai and Pune.
Details on the broadcast and live streaming
At a high cost of Rs 23,575 crores, Disney Star retained its Indian subcontinent television rights for IPL 2023. As a result, the matches will be broadcast live on the Star Sports Network in Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Marathi, Malayalam, and Kannada. Meanwhile, Viacom18 paid Rs 23,578 for digital rights. JioCinema will stream IPL 2023 in 4k HD for free.
A look at the IPL structure
During the league phase, each side will play 14 games in total, seven at home and seven away. The teams are split into two groups of five. They will face each of their group’s other four teams twice (one home and one away). They will meet the other group’s four teams once and the remaining team twice.
The Rule of the Impact Player
The Impact Player rule will be implemented in the IPL 2023. Aside from their starting lineup, each team will nominate four substitution players. They can later employ these subs as their ‘Impact Player’ at any moment. A team can only make one replacement change per match. The departing player will no longer participate in the competition.
Playing XI declaration
As the playing XIs are preplanned, franchise captains usually swap their teamsheets before tossing the coin. Captains can now wait for the outcome of the coin toss before deciding on their starting lineups. According to IPL officials, this adjustment will allow teams to properly strategize for the ‘Impact Player’ regulation. The SAT20 League was the first tournament to implement this rule.
Wide and no-ball calls can be reviewed by teams
Teams can now use the Decision Review System (DRS) to review wide and no-ball calls to reduce on-field umpire errors. They can also investigate any illegal movement by a wicketkeeper or fielder that results in a dead ball and five penalty runs.
A look at the 12 Venues
Wankhede Stadium, Eden Gardens, Narendra Modi Stadium, Arun Jaitley Stadium, M Chinnaswamy Stadium, MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk), Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium (Dharamsala).