British subscription broadcaster Sky Sports, which is owned by American media conglomerate Comcast, has retained the rights to TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) and TATA Women’s Premier League (WPL) for the UK and Ireland markets, Broadcast has reported.

Broadcast, which is a source for business information about the British TV industry, in a report earlier this week stated that the four-year deal for the T20 tournaments starts this year and runs until the end of 2027.

In total, 74 live matches from the TATA Indian Premier League will be shown on Sky Sports in 2024. (https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/broadcasting/sky-sports-retains-indian-premier-league-cricket-rights/5191894.article)

Twelve of England’s cricket stars are involved this IPL season, including Moeen Ali, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes and Sam Curran as well as England’s ICC T20 World Cup 2023 captain, Jos Buttler, who will join forces with local favourites Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the report added.

Jonathan Licht, Sky Sports MD, was quoted by Broadcast as saying: “The IPL and WPL are two fantastic competitions that see the world’s best players compete in front of a fanatical local audience, resulting in some of the most explosive and entertaining cricket in the calendar as we saw with the conclusion of the WPL. We’re excited to bring these great live events to life on Sky Sports.”

Meanwhile, a press statement issued by the Indian cricket board BCCI — and accessed by Indianbroadcastingworld.com — announced the full schedule for the first two weeks (21 matches) of IPL.

The remainder of the schedule has been drawn up factoring in the polling dates and venues for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections across the country.

In the second phase, Delhi Capitals will play all their remaining five home matches in front of their enthusiastic home crowd at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi after opting to play their first two home matches in Visakhapatnam.

Punjab Kings, who commenced their season at the PCA New International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, will culminate their home campaign in Dharamsala. The scenic stadium offering breathtaking views will be the home to PBKS, hosting two matches on May 5 and 9 against Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, respectively, BCCI said.

Rajasthan Royals too have opted for a second venue in Guwahati and will play their final two home matches in Assam. They will first host Punjab Kings on May 15 and later play Kolkata Knight Riders on May 19, which will also mark the conclusion of the league stage of the 17th season of IPL.

After a break on May 20, the spotlight will shift to Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium as the world’s biggest cricket stadium will host an electrifying Qualifier 1 clash featuring two top-ranked sides on May 21, followed by the Eliminator on May 22.

Similar to the season opener, the Qualifier 2 and the final will take place in Chennai, the home turf of reigning champions Chennai Super Kings. Qualifier 2, to be played between the loser of Qualifier 1 and the winner of the Eliminator, will take place on May 24, followed by the summit clash on May 26.