IPL 2023 Begins on March 31 in India: All You Need to Know

Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 begins on March 31 in India, with the BCCI-run tournament returning to its traditional home-away stadium format this year after modifications and venue changes were implemented in its previous editions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The popular league cricket tournament, which includes 10 teams fighting to become champions, is currently in its 16th edition and sees Gujarat Titans return as defending champions. Notably for viewers, there are major changes to the streaming experience, with JioCinema taking over as the streaming platform for IPL from 2023 onwards.

IPL 2023: Tournament format, dates, and timings

IPL 2023 will follow the traditional league format for much of the tournament, with each team playing every other team once at home, and once away. The four top teams after the league stage will progress to the playoffs, where the first and second-placed teams have a distinct advantage over the third and fourth-placed teams.

The IPL 2023 will take place from March 31 to May 28, with the final set to take place in Ahmedabad, Gujarat — the home venue of the defending champions Gujarat Titans. During the league stage, teams will play primarily at their traditional home venues, although some matches are scheduled to take place in Guwahati, Assam and Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh as denoted home venues for Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings respectively.

League stage matches will take place every day (at least one match per day) from March 31 to May 21, with most matches starting at 7:30pm. However, some matches will start at 3:30pm, so keep a look out for the specific schedule of your favourite team.

IPL 2023: How to watch

There is a big change to how IPL 2023 can be watched, as compared to previous editions of the tournament. With streaming rights changing hands and Viacom18 securing the rights, matches in 2023 will be broadcast on JioCinema, which is available on multiple platforms including smartphones, tablets, smart televisions, and streaming devices, as well as the low-cost JioPhone feature phones.

Interestingly, JioCinema is streaming the entire IPL 2023 tournament at up to Ultra-HD resolution, with numerous other improvements to the viewing experience, such as the ability to change camera angles and languages, being implemented. The app will also provide access to statistics and virtual reality implementations on supported devices.

Viewers will be happy to note that JioCinema is currently accessible free of charge to all, with no subscription plan required and the app free to download on all platforms. JioCinema was the streaming platform for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and drew criticism for poor performance and technical issues then, but it's possible that these issues will be ironed out ahead of IPL 2023 to ensure proper viewing.

Television viewers also have an option to watch IPL 2023 on traditional cable and DTH connections, with the Star Sports network retaining the TV broadcast rights for IPL going into 2023. However, viewers with access to smart TVs and reliable Internet connections are promised a better experience with JioCinema, particularly the higher resolution and app-based features such as camera angles and 12 Indian languages for commentary and on-screen graphics.