BCCI announces the schedule for IPL 2023 playoffs and final
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday announced the much-awaited schedule for the ongoing Indian Premier League season (IPL 2023) playoffs and final. Chennai and Ahmedabad will host the playoffs and final from May 23 to 28.
Qualifier 1 and Eliminator will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on May 23 and 24, respectively. Meanwhile, Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium will host Qualifier 2 and the IPL 2023 final on May 26 and 28, respectively.
This will be the second IPL final in Ahmedabad after it hosted the IPL 2022 summit clash between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) last year.
Thus, the defending champions, GT, and the four-time IPL champions, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), will look to qualify for the playoffs even more now to maximize home advantage in their favor.
Last month, the BCCI announced 70 group-stage matches, including 18 double headers, between 10 teams over a period of 52 days across 12 venues (including Guwahati and Dharamsala as the second homes of RR and Punjab Kings (PBKS), respectively).
The season also witnessed the return of home-and-away games, three years after the COVID-19 era.
All you need to know about IPL 2023: Points Table, Orange Cap, and Purple Cap
Sanju Samson’s RR are currently leading the IPL 2023 points table, having won four out of their first six games. Meanwhile, the KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have also won an equal number of games but have a lower net run rate (NRR). MS Dhoni's CSK and Hardik Pandya's GT are the other two teams at the top.
Delhi Capitals (DC) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are placed at the bottom of the league table. While DC have registered a solitary win, SRH have won two out of their five games.
As far as the stats are concerned, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Faf du Plessis is currently holding the orange cap with 343 runs in six games at a strike rate of 166.50, including four half-centuries.
Another RCB player, Mohammed Siraj, is leading the purple cap leaderboard with 12 wickets in six games at an economy rate of 6.70.
Follow IPL 2023 Orange cap, Purple cap and Points Table updates here.