JAIPUR: After a three-year break, Jaipur's famed SMS stadium will play host to five league stage games of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2023.

The 16th season of India's top T20 league will get underway on March 31 in Ahmedabad with the defending champion Gujarat Titans taking on the Chennai Super Kings.

As per the schedule released on Friday, the first game in Jaipur will take place on April 19 at 7.30 p.m. between the Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow, while the second game will take place on April 27 at 7.30 p.m. between the Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Kings.

On May 5 at 7.30 p.m., Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals will play in the third game at the SMS Stadium. The fourth and fifth games scheduled in Jaipur feature Rajasthan Royals versus Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 7 and Rajasthan Royals versus Royal Challengers Bangalore on May 15.

Gajendra Luniwal, president of the Hotel Association of Jaipur, said, "Visitors visiting Rajasthan will buy clothing, gemstones, and see tourist attractions. So, 500 crores of rupees worth of business will arrive." "All types of tourists attend these games, which directly boosts tourism and other industries. Around 10,000 people are thought to go to Jaipur to witness these matches, thus it is certain that such businesses would experience significant growth "he added.

It should be noted that during the Covid-19 pandemic, IPL matches were held in UAE in 2020 and 2021 while they were played in Mumbai and Pune in 2022.

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IPL 2023 begins on March 31, first crack between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings