The Indian Premier League (IPL) has released the official schedule for the 2023 edition on Friday and Guwahati has been confirmed to be hosting two IPL matches for Rajasthan Royals.
Earlier, reports had emerged that the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) was in talks with both the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Rajasthan Royals to bring two IPL matches to Guwahati.
And now, with the official schedule released by the IPL, Guwahati has been confirmed to play host to two IPL matches this season on April 5 and April 8 as the home ground for Rajasthan Royals.
According to the schedule, Guwahati will witness Rajasthan Royals play Punjab Kings in the first of the two IPL matches on April 5 (Wednesday). The match will be played at 7.30 pm.
Moreover, the second IPL match will be played two days later on April 8 (Saturday) where Rajasthan Royals will take on Delhi Capitals. That match will take place at 3.30 pm.
It may be noted that IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals has an agreement with the Assam Cricket Association and also promotes the youth game here in Guwahati.
Furthermore, earlier in the day, ACA President Taranga Gogoi had all but confirmed the news after years of speculation about Guwahati hosting an IPL match.
Taranga Gogoi said, "Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, there were talks of organising an IPL match in Guwahati. However, the plans were shelved during the pandemic as the IPL had to shifted to Dubai and was only played at selected venues."
He said, "Assam Cricket Association has always wanted to host an IPL match in Guwahati and as there are no northeast based teams in the IPL, we requested Rajasthan Royals to consider Guwahati as their home ground. On their behalf, a team came to inspect the ground and the facilities available."
"We do not have an official confirmation from their end, however, we are hopeful and it is very likely that we will be hosting an IPL match. With the schedule for this edition of the IPL impending, we are expecting to be given two matches towards the beginning of the season, that is, either the second or third matches," Gogoi added.
The ACA President further said that it will be a very good news for the cricket fans in Assam. He said, "We are expecting to be given two IPL matches on April 8 and April 10. Since the timing is around Bihu, and the weather is also expected to be rainy at that time of the year, we have requested the BCCI and Rajasthan Royals to consider the two dates before the Bihu festival."
Taranga Gogoi also went on to say that since Rajasthan Royals will be the home team, they will be arriving in Guwahati beforehand and will hold their practice sessions here. They are expected to arrive in March itself, while the two opposition IPL teams will be arriving according to the schedule."
Click here to check the entire schedule
