The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the schedule for the first 21 matches of the IPL 2024 on Thursday with Delhi Capitals being the only team which will not get to play on its home ground.
DC, led by Rishabh Pant, will have to play their first two games of IPL 2024 in Vishakhapatnam as the Arun Jaitley Stadium in the national capital will not have enough time to prepare the ground.
No time left to prepare Arun Jaitley Stadium
The Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) cited preparations for the Women's Premier League matches as the reason for the unavailability of the Delhi stadium.
Notably, DC will open their campaign against Punjab Kings in Mohali on March 23. They will play their first 'home game' in Vizag on March 31 against defending champions Chennai Super Kings.
Their second match at home will be against two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders on April 3.
WPL schedule disrupts DC's first 2 home games
The DDCA had already informed the BCCI the status of the stadium before the schedule was announced.
"The reason is WPL. We will be hosting a total of 11 matches in two weeks and with IPL starting from March 22 the first IPL match in Delhi was supposed to take place on March 24, so we don’t have enough time to prepare pitches. The BCCI has agreed to shift the first two matches and has also given us some breathing space,” a DDCA official was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.
DC Fans heartbroken
Fans on social media reacted to the news of DC's home games being shifted to Vizag with many confused as to why Delhi will not host any games.
