New Delhi:  The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has made changes to the schedule of two matches in the Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL 2024). Initially, the match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals was set to take place at Eden Gardens on April 17, 2024. However, it has now been rescheduled to April 16, 2024. Additionally, the match between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Delhi Capitals (DC), originally scheduled for April 16, 2024, at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, will now be held on April 17, 2024.

While BCCI has not provided a specific reason for the schedule changes, reports suggest that they are due to Ram Navami. Ram Navami falls on April 17, and Kolkata Police expressed concerns about providing security on that day. Moreover, with Lok Sabha elections scheduled in Bengal on April 19, some security personnel will be occupied with election-related duties.

In a letter addressed to Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Snehasish Ganguly, Kolkata Police cited the overlapping events and stated their inability to ensure security for the match on April 17. They mentioned that security personnel have already been deployed for Ram Navami and election duties, making it challenging to allocate resources for the match.

IPL 2024 is set to be played entirely in India amidst the backdrop of the Lok Sabha elections 2024. BCCI has carefully crafted the IPL schedule, taking into account the general elections. Initially, the schedule was announced for March 22 to April 7. However, after the Lok Sabha election schedule was released, the remaining IPL matches' schedule was finalized. Bengal is among the states where voting will occur across all seven phases of the election, which will commence on April 19 and conclude on June 1.

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