CSK, the defending champions, will face Royal Challengers Bangalore in the opening game of IPL 2024 at Chepauk, on March 22. The IPL has released a partial schedule comprising an initial set of 21 matches between March 22 and April 7. The final is expected to be played on May 26, with just five days between that and the opening match of the men’s T20 World Cup, to be played in the USA and the Caribbean from June 1.