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Perth Scorchers stars Sophie Devine and Beth Mooney piled more pain on the struggling Melbourne Renegades to steer their side to a 10-wicket WBBL thumping.Devine and Mooney smashed Renegades’ bowlers to all parts of the Junction Oval in Melbourne on Saturday to bring up Scorchers’ sixth win of the season with 52 balls to spare.New Zealand captain Devine smashed eight sixes in her unbeaten 70 from 36 balls to completely flatten Renegades. Australia ace Mooney’s 47 not out from 32 balls was relatively tame in comparison to Devine’s fireworks.Related

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Devine took a liking to Sarah Coyte, with the Renegades bowler going for 40 from her two overs including four sixes.It was the third hundred stand in the last four matches for Devine and Mooney following their 131 partnership against Brisbane Heat and 105 against in the previous meeting with Renegades.Scorchers’ big hitting came after Australia spinner Georgia Wareham smashed a career-best 57 not out to help the Renegades reach 133 for 5.The hosts struggled to get going after captain Hayley Matthews departed for a slow 8 from 15 balls. Renegades’ campaign is turning into a disaster, even with international stars Matthews and Harmanpreet Kaur in their XI.Amy Edgar was the standout bowler for Scorchers with 2 for 14 from her four overs including 16 dot balls.They upset reigning champions Strikers in their second match, but have tumbled to seven-straight losses since to be on the bottom of the table with a 1-8 record. Scorchers have moved up to second in the race for top spot which means direct qualification into a home grand final.

Temba Bavuma suffered a strain to his left hamstring in the first session of the Boxing Day Test against India, putting his participation in the match in doubt. Bavuma left the field in the 20th over and was sent for a scan soon after. A Cricket South Africa statement said he will “undergo daily medical evaluations to determine” if he will play any further role in the match.Bavuma was fielding at mid-off when Virat Kohli drove Marco Jansen through extra cover and he gave chase. The ball stopped before reaching the boundary and Bavuma did not have to dive to haul it in but as he caught up to it, he clutched his hamstring and went down in pain. He received treatment on the field and then left, unaided. Dean Elgar, the former Test captain playing in his last series, moved himself from slip to mid-off and appeared to have taken over leadership duties.This was Bavuma’s first outing since South Africa’s semi-final at the 50-over World Cup against Australia on November 16, where he was carrying a right hamstring strain. Bavuma picked up that injury while fielding in their final group match against Afghanistan in Ahmedabad on November 10, but did not leave the field at any stage and batted for 49 minutes as South Africa successfully chased 245. He did not have a scan in India but progressed with a rehabilitation program at training and was cleared to play the semi-final, even though he conceded that he was not 100% fit. South Africa lost that match by three wickets.Bavuma was rested from their next assignment of three T20Is and three ODIs against India which started on December 10 and was due to play a four-day first-class match between December 14 and 17 to prepare for the Test series. He missed the game because of a family bereavement. On the eve of the Test Bavuma declared himself, “mentally as fresh as ever,” and he was a strong presence in the field for the first 90 minutes of play (which started half an hour late after overnight rain).If he is unable to bat, South Africa will be a player short for the rest of the game as Bavuma cannot be replaced due to an external injury, and he may also be a concern for the New Year’s Test. The second Test starts on January 3 in Cape Town.

Afghanistan will be topping up their Test-match experience in double quick time by facing Sri Lanka and Ireland in February 2024.With most of the focus on the two limited-overs formats, Afghanistan ended up playing just one Test match over a better part of the last three years. Now, however, they’ve found space in the calendar and have announced two separate all-format series taking place between February 2 and March 18.The busy period begins with their first-ever Test match against Sri Lanka in Colombo, which will then be followed by three ODIs and three T20Is. Seven days after the end of their tour of Sri Lanka, Afghanistan will be in the UAE hosting Ireland for a one-off Test match between February 28 and March 3. This series also includes a limited-overs leg as Afghanistan build towards the next T20 World Cup due to take place in the West Indies and the USA in June.Afghanistan’s tour of Sri Lanka was always going to feature a Test match and three T20Is. “The addition of these three ODIs,” ACB chief Mirwais Ashraf said, “is a significant move to ensure a complete and comprehensive tour which not only provides good exposure to Afghanistan Cricket but will also foster stronger relations between the two nations. Playing Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka is always tricky but is a challenge that Afghan Atalan can easily embrace.”Prior to all this, Afghanistan will play their first-ever bilateral series against India this month and their chief executive Naseeb Khan was hopeful that all these games would set the team up for the challenges ahead. “The upcoming tours of India, Sri Lanka, and then the home series against Ireland will help us to prepare the team for the much-important T20 World Cup. Eagerly looking for the multiple series upfront.”Along with announcing schedules for these tours, the ACB also modified the sanctions that they placed on Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi for wanting to forego their national contracts. All three players were initially barred from playing in any T20 leagues for the next two years but now the board has had a change of heart.

Afghanistan tour of Sri Lanka

February 2-6, 2024 One-Off Test, Colombo
February 9, 2024, 1st ODI, Colombo
February 11, 2024, 2nd ODI, Colombo
February 14, 2024, 3rd ODI, Colombo
February 17, 2024, 1st T20I, Dambulla
February 19, 2024, 2nd T20I, Dambulla
February 21, 2024, 3rd T20I, Dambulla

Afghanistan vs Ireland in the UAE

February 28-March 3, 2024 One-Off Test, Abu Dhabi
March 7, 2024, 1st ODI, Sharjah
March 9, 2024, 2nd ODI, Sharjah
March 12, 2024, 3rd ODI, Sharjah
March 15, 2024, 1st T20I, Sharjah
March 17, 2024 2nd T20I, Sharjah
March 18, 2024, 3rd T20I Sharjah

Northern Diamonds cruised their way to an opening-day nine-wicket victory over Thunder at Chester-le-Street thanks to commanding performances from three of their most experienced players.Veteran legspinner Katie Levick claimed 4 for 38 as the visitors were bowled out for 165 off 43.1 overs before England internationals Lauren Winfield-Hill and Hollie Armitage both hit unbeaten half-centuries as the hosts reached the modest target from 34.3 overs.Only opening batter Seren Smale showed any real opposition with the bat for Thunder with a knock of 32 at the top of the order on a disappointing day for Ellie Threlkeld’s side who were a distant second best in all areas of the game.Thunder never really recovered from the early blow of losing Emma Lamb, bowled by Jessica Woolston without scoring, with her fellow opener Smale subsequently struggling to find any partners of substance.Australian debutant Katie Mack threatened to do the job with a breezy 19 before she was trapped in front by Abi Glenn who then bowled Fi Morris first ball to leave Thunder 40 for 3.It was a busy day for the umpires with both Threlkeld and then Smale departing leg-before with the latter’s 32 the top score of the innings only matched by the same number of extras.Threlkeld was Levick’s first victim as the legspinner turned the screw effectively with the runs drying up for Thunder despite some defiance from Namoi Dattani, Danielle Collins and Tara Norris as the visitors squeezed their way above 150.It was Levick’s day though and last season’s leading wicket-taker for Diamonds took the last three wickets to fall to close with typically strong figures of 4 for 38 from 9.1 overs as Thunder were bowled out for a below-par 165.Winfield-Hill and Sterre Kalis attacked from the start of the Diamonds innings and although both Phoebe Graham and Mahika Gaur bowled tightly they were unable to make a crucial early breakthrough for Thunder.It was not until the 14th over when Diamonds had reached 59 and seen off the opening bowlers that the wicket finally came and when it did it was something of gimme: Kalis somehow scooping a full toss from slow-left armer Hannah Jones into the hands of Dattini at midwicket for 28.Despite Threlkeld shuffling her pack, a second wicket failed to materialise with Armitage joining Winfield-Hill at the crease and the pair attacking Norris and Morris, in particular, with some powerful hitting.Winfield-Hill eased past her half-century as the second-wicket partnership turned into a match-winning one with the only real drama concerning if Armitage would join her in reaching the landmark, which she did in the 34th over.The century partnership came up shortly before the winning runs were hit leaving Winfield-Hill and Armitage both not out at the close of a very satisfying day for Northern Diamonds who claimed the bonus-point victory.

Pakistan’s new white-ball coach Gary Kirsten may not have joined the team in person yet but he appears to be preparing for the magnitude of the challenge already. Speaking to , Kirsten said there was little doubt about the talent in the Pakistan squad, but also hinted at problems he had already picked up on.”Everyone always talks about watching some of these players play on any given day and getting mesmerised by their abilities,” he said, talking to former England fast bowler Steve Harmison and broadcaster Neil Manthorp. “But the short time I’ve had in connection remotely with the team, one can pick up very quickly what the potential blockages are. And I guess it’s my role as a coach, to assist in unlocking the natural ability that they have.”Kirsten, who takes over at a time of both on- and off-field flux in Pakistan cricket, said it was natural to expect negativity, suggesting the knock-on effects of poor on-field results seep into all aspects of the game.Related

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Following a poor ODI World Cup, Pakistan lost 3-0 in Tests to Australia and 4-1 in T20Is in New Zealand. Then against a weakened visiting New Zealand team, Pakistan only managed a 2-2 draw before scraping past Ireland 2-1 this week.During that time, Babar Azam was sacked as captain and replaced by Shaheen Shah Afridi, only for Afridi to be replaced by Babar a few weeks later. Off the field, Mickey Arthur was removed as team director with Mohammad Hafeez performing the role in Australia and New Zealand, while there have been three different PCB chairmen in the last year.”I’ve been around the coaching circuit enough to know that pretty much any team environment that’s not winning, you will get factions. The fact is, it could be highlighted even more in certain cultures and environments. The one thing about being a coach of over 20 years now is that you get a little bit more thick-skinned. And that’s the one thing I did learn from Bob [Woolmer], by the way.”He had a really thick skin by the end of his coaching career. Because you’re just trying to do as best a job you can, accepting the fact that when the team’s not doing well, there’s always going to be a whole bunch of criticism.”Kirsten’s time with India should, in theory at least, prepare him for the administrative challenges of working with a cricket board in South Asia, and the wisdom of accepting there will be inevitable limitations on his powers. “I think my learnings over my three years with India was that there are some battles that you just absolutely not going to win. And then you just focus on the ones that you can win, and hopefully that’s enough for the team to do really well.”It’s really important that you build relationships upwards. You need to work well with the people upstairs and within the confines of the board, and hopefully build a decent relationship so that they buy into your thinking as well.”

Kirsten on Babar: ‘Not fair to depend on one player’

The most obvious example of this comes with the contentious debate around the captain Babar and his best use in the shortest format. Kirsten pointed to his recent innings against Ireland – a matchwinning 42-ball 75 – saying one of his goals was to find Babar the space to play with that kind of freedom more frequently.”It [dependence on Babar] is not fair on any player,” Kirsten said. “He shouldn’t feel like he has to be contributing all the time to a team. I’ve been in touch with Babar. He’s done remarkably well and carries a lot of the weight of the team on his shoulders. What we will try to do as a coaching staff is to lift that a little bit and to realise he’s just one of a whole group of players and that he can free himself up to play with his natural talent.Babar Azam replaced Shaheen Shah Afridi as captain•Sportsfile via Getty Images

“Hopefully we see a lot more of that [the Ireland innings] kind of knock from him. I think if we can unlock that freedom, and understand that there’s a big group of guys that can make match-winning contributions, especially in T20 cricket, that’ll take a lot of pressure off him.”Since Kirsten was appointed coach alongside Jason Gillespie – who will serve as the coach of the Test side – Pakistan have played a three-match T20I series against Ireland, which they won 2-1. Kirsten was not physically with the side during the series due to prior IPL commitments but will link up with the team in England when the two teams play four T20Is ahead of the T20 World Cup.”I got a phone call while I was at the IPL and, they asked whether I was interested. I’m always interested in an international job. It’s always just a massive privilege to be coaching in that space. I haven’t done an international job since coaching South Africa towards the end of 2013. My kids are a little bit older now, which makes it slightly easier to travel, and to work with an international team of the likes of Pakistan was very appealing to me.”

State of Test cricket ‘worries me deeply’

During Kirsten’s two-year contract, Pakistan will participate in three white-ball ICC events: the upcoming T20 World Cup, the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan, and the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. And though he has admittedly set his sights on winning one of the three events, Kirsten said he was not in favour of ICC tournaments coming thick and fast.”Sometimes I do get concerned about the lack of context in many games. But does it mean we need to have an ICC event every year? No I think it could be dangerous to have a World Cup every year or other year because it’s always fun waiting for those events to come around.”And we’ve got to be really careful we don’t lose Test cricket. Having Test-playing nations like South Africa playing four Tests a year worries me deeply – to think Test cricket is not so important anymore.”

“Are you concerned about Virat Kohli’s strike rate?”India’s chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar was asked that question at a press conference to discuss the squad for the T20 World Cup in Mumbai on Thursday. Though he didn’t specify, it’s possible the questioner may have meant Kohli’s strike rate against spin.”I don’t think we’ve been discussing it,” Agarkar said. “Look, he has been in great form fortunately in the IPL, so there are no concerns there at all with regards to how it’s going [for Kohli] in the IPL.”Kohli is currently the second highest run-scorer this season, with 500 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 147.49. But, among 16 players who have scored at least 100 runs against spin in IPL 2024, Kohli ‘s strike rate of 135.66 is the fifth lowest.Agarkar, however, said that Kohli’s experience was valuable and that they had made selections to give the middle order more power. “I mean we’ve obviously got some reinforcements. That’s the whole thing, but you want some experience in your team,” he said. “I mean these guys [Rohit, Kohli] have been around because they’ve been good enough to be around. That’s the reason they played. They have played multiple World Cups.Virat Kohli has 500 runs at a strike rate of 147.49 after 10 innings in IPL 2024•BCCI

“But look, like Rohit spoke before, we have tried to get in players who are going to bat a certain way in the middle of the innings where just presuming that a lot of teams will use spin sometimes. That has been an issue. We have tried to address that with some of the guys that we picked. We have tried to get in some left handers as well through the middle of that innings. Surya has been the number one T20 player in the world for a while. I don’t think he’s too bad through the middle either.”Last week in the IPL, Kohli played one of his best T20 innings against spin, scoring 70 not out off 44 balls against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. He scored 61 runs at a strike rate of 179 against Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad and Sai Kishore, the most he has ever scored against spin in a T20 game.”All the people who talk about strike rates and me not playing spin well are the ones who love talking about this stuff,” Kohli said after that innings. “But for me, it’s just about winning the game for the team. And there’s a reason why you do it for 15 years – because you’ve done this day in [and] day out; you’ve won games for your teams.”I am not quite sure if you’ve been in that situation yourself to sit and speak about the game from a box. I don’t really think it’s the same thing [as playing out there]. So for me, it’s just about doing my job. People can talk about their own ideas and assumptions of the game, but those who have done it day in [and] day out know what’s happening, and it’s kind of a muscle memory for me now.”

A series victory in India is bigger than winning the Ashes, according to Australia players including Steven Smith and David Warner, who are gearing up for the “toughest challenge in Test cricket”. India and Australia go up against each other in a high-profile four-match Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting in Nagpur on February 9.”It [India] is a difficult place to win a Test match let alone a series. So if we are able to do that, it would be huge. I think if you win in India, it is bigger than an Ashes series [win],” Smith told cricket.com.au, in a video featuring several Australia players taking about the challenges of playing in India.Warner said he is looking forward to playing against the best spinners in the world. “Being a part of the last Ashes was fantastic but to go to India and beat India in India is the toughest challenge in Test cricket for us.”I’m looking forward to the tour, it’s always a hard graft. One thing that I’m looking forward to is applying myself against the best spinners in the world.”Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, who will miss the Nagpur Test due to an Achilles niggle in his left leg, said: “Probably been long since Australia won there or less frequently we have won. In world cricket that’s everyone’s goal – to try and win in India.”Mitchell Starc, who will also miss the first Test, having not recovered sufficiently as yet from a finger tendon injury, said a series win in India “has always been a crown jewel for Australian touring teams”.”Winning a series in India will be really special for our group,” Starc said. “I think it has always been a crown jewel for Australian touring teams. It’s one of, if not the hardest place to play away… Such foreign conditions and how strong the Indian team are as well.”On one side you’ve got all this history of the Ashes and on the other you have this tour of India, which has been for many Australian teams out of reach.”Captain Pat Cummins mirrored the sentiments of his team-mates, saying: “Winning a series in India is like an Ashes away series [win] but even more rare. It will be a career highlight, an era-defining series if we win out there,” Cummins said.

Peshawar Zalmi were the side with the weakest death bowling, Islamabad United the team with the most fearsome power hitting. United were the imperious chasers, while just last week, Zalmi failed to defend 240 against already-eliminated Quetta Gladiators. The data, as Shadab Khan almost didactically likes to point out United operate by, all pointed to a United win, especially when fifties from Alex Hales and Sohaib Maqsood put their side 56 runs away with six overs and nine wickets to go. But, in defence of 183, Zalmi’s bowlers produced a monumental comeback, a masterclass of yorker bowling from Salman Irshad and Aamer Jamal battering down United’s defences. As the yellow storm surged, United were left high and dry, in the end falling comfortably short of the target by 13 runs.United had opted to chase, flying in the face of the partiality Gaddafi Stadium has shown this season to the side batting first; all six matches until tonight had been won by the defenders. But Shadab’s decision looked to be paying dividends when Hales and Maqsood struck up a magnificent second wicket partnership, accumulating 115 runs in 77 balls. Maqsood’s targeting of Azmatullah Omarzai was the catalyst after he smashed two fours and a six in the fourth over, and Alex Hales tore Wahab Riaz apart in the over that followed, plundering 18 of it. By the end of the powerplay, they had put together 67, and were on track.Zalmi continued to appear toothless as the field spread out, and the game looked set to be one of those clinics United put on every now and then. The stand was chanceless, and even Mujeeb ur Rehman found himself copping punishment by his final over as Babar Azam looked to be running out of cards to play.In fact, he, and Zalmi, had been holding out their best for last. Jamal bowled a toe-crushing yorker to burst through Maqsood’s defences. Yorker bowling suddenly became contagious, with Salman Irshad repeating the feat to see off Azam Khan cheaply, before Jamal saved his best for last, a peach that Hales had no answer to.While the toes were being threatened, Islamabad also lost their heads. A run borne of muddled thinking brought about Faheem’s run-out at the non-striker’s end and, all of a sudden, the runscoring trickled to a halt. It didn’t help that Colin Munro chose this moment to have his worst PSL game in ages, unable to find timing on anything before he fell for a limp nine-ball four.United were done by now, needing 24 off the final over. Against such quality, the very notion they might get close was fanciful, with Jamal duly closing out with United 13 runs away.The wheels for the Zalmi win, as Shadab pointed out post-match, had been set in motion in the first ten overs of the game, when Babar and Saim Ayub took the attack to United’s bowlers. The first nine balls saw six boundaries scored as Babar and Saim split them, and the 50 was brought up inside four overs. Shadab lamented the lack of intensity from his side, but with Ayub in sizzling form and Babar toying with the field, it was difficult to see what United could do. When Muhammad Waseem removed Saim, Haseebullah duly took his place, as Babar brought up a 28-ball 50 at the other end.Crucially, he didn’t slow down after the first six overs, and with Mohammad Haris at the other end, there was no respite for United. By 13 overs, Zalmi had soared to 137 before United’s bowlers finally turned things their way. Shadab was expensive, but changed momentum by trapping Babar in front, before Haris’ departure dragged Zalmi back. The final five overs saw just three boundaries scored as United established control, and a Zalmi side who had been on track for over 200 limped to 183.It didn’t look like it might be enough, and all the data suggested it wouldn’t be once Hales and Maqsood sunk their teeth into the chase. But Jamal, and Zalmi found something special in the moments that mattered, conjuring up a stirring finish to rip up all scripts and spreadsheets.

Ben Stokes has implored Ollie Pope to take his new role as England’s official vice-captain “as seriously as I did” as concerns around Stokes’ fitness linger ahead of the first Ashes Test on June 16.Stokes reiterated before England’s 10-wicket win over Ireland at Lord’s that he intends to play a full part in all five Tests – “unless I can’t walk, I’ll be on the field” – but he did not bowl a ball in the match and was in clear discomfort on the final day, appearing to jar his troublesome left knee when taking a catch.Stokes has only bowled once since returning from the IPL, a 20-minute spell in the warm-ups ahead of the third and final day of the Test on Saturday, and it appears increasingly possible that Pope will deputise for him at some stage this summer, even if only for a brief period of time.Related

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Pope has only captained one first-class match – an end-of-season County Championship fixture for Surrey – but has been groomed as future leader for more than six months. In Stokes’ absence, he captained England in both of their warm-up games over the winter: against the Lions in Abu Dhabi, and a New Zealand XI in Hamilton.When Rob Key became England’s managing director last year, he said that he was “not concerned with having to appoint a vice-captain” and that it was “low down on my priorities” but has gradually become convinced of the importance of the role – not least when observing Moeen Ali’s influence within England’s white-ball set-up.Stokes and McCullum told him last month that they wanted Pope to be made vice-captain in a formal capacity after deputising in the winter, and his appointment was ratified before the Ireland Test. “It really shows where Ollie Pope is – how far he’s come in a year,” Key said.On Pope’s promotion, Stokes said after the Ireland Test: “[We had] given him more responsibility over the winter, using him more out on the field, running things by him about what I think. Then we just naturally came to a decision together. And he’s excelled as a player and taken responsibility at No. 3.”I just thought it was the right time to finally, officially, name a vice-captain and Popey was the man for it. I think it will do him the world of good, getting a double-hundred on his vice-captaincy debut.”Stokes’ own reinstatement as vice-captain four years ago “meant the world” to him•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Pope said that he saw the role as “a big honour” but that it would not represent a major change from the winter. “From what I was doing before, it doesn’t make a big difference,” he said. “I’m going to give my opinion and challenge Stokesy when he needs challenging. We’re going to be tested in the Ashes along the way, so it’s not always about going on and agreeing with him.”It’s about providing a different opinion to let ponder in his mind as well. Nothing’s really changed. He’s got a pretty clear vision, and he’s got 15 guys in that changing room who know our roles now, so that’s helpful for everybody.”Before his own appointment as captain last year, Stokes had served as Joe Root’s deputy in two separate spells. He cared deeply about the position, which he lost in the aftermath of the street fight outside a Bristol nightclub in 2017 that briefly threatened his career.He was reinstated in the weeks leading up to the 2019 Ashes after texting Tom Harrison, the then-chief executive of the ECB, to ask if he was eligible for the job. “Forty-eight hours later, I had Ashley Giles, the England managing director, in contact to offer me the position once more… it meant the world to me,” he wrote in his book, .”It’s a role that I took very seriously,” Stokes added on Saturday evening, “and I told him, I want him to take it as seriously as I did. That’s why me and Joe worked so well together: I didn’t take it just as a badge, almost, and we rubbed off [on] each other really well so I’m encouraging Popey to do the same role that I did.”Pope won the match award against Ireland at Lord’s•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Pope believes that Stokes will do everything in his power to be on the field at all times this summer, but said that he feels “confident” he would be able to “implement the same ideas” as his captain if the situation arises.”Fingers crossed Stokesy’s body’s all good,” Pope said. “It’s going to take a hell of a lot for him not to be on the pitch even for a day’s play, knowing what he’s like.”But if it did happen, I feel confident. We’ve played a lot together as a team over the last year and a bit, and he knows a lot how he wants the bowlers to operate, the kind of fields he sets, and tries to get players to hit balls in areas that they don’t normally want to hit [them] in.”So I’ve got a pretty good understanding of how he runs things now and, if needs be, can implement the same ideas.”

Chennai is set to host its first IPL final in 12 years, with Chepauk named as the venue for the IPL 2024 title match, to be played on May 26. The MA Chidambaram Stadium, or the Chepauk, the home venue of defending IPL champions Chennai Super Kings, has hosted two previous IPL finals, in 2011 and 2012.Chennai will also host the second qualifier on May 24, with the first qualifier on May 21 and the eliminator on May 22 set to take place in Ahmedabad.The second part of the IPL schedule, comprising 52 matches including the playoffs, will begin on April 8, with CSK hosting Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai. All playoff matches will be evening games, as usual.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

As in 2023, the ten teams have been divided across two groups of five each. Each team plays the other four teams in their group twice and four teams in the other group once while playing the remaining team from the other group – picked via a draw – twice.CSK are grouped with 2022 IPL champions Gujarat Titans, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings. The second group comprises five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians along with KKR, Royals, Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants.In all, the 2024 league phase will include 11 double-header days, two of which took place on the opening weekend.On February 22, the IPL had released a partial schedule of an initial set of 21 matches from March 22 to April 7. A complete schedule could not be put out since, at the time, the IPL was waiting for the Election Commission of India to announce the dates for the country’s general elections, which have since been made public. They will take place in seven phases from April 19 to June 1.Apart from the main home grounds of the ten teams, the tournament will also travel to Visakhapatnam, Dharamsala and Guwahati, which will host two games each as the respective second home grounds of Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals respectively. Guwahati will host the final league game of the season on May 19, between Royals and KKR.