The schedule for the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League is out, and the opening game will feature the defending champion Chennai Super Kings facing off against Royal Challengers Bangalore on March 22 at Chepauk Stadium. This will be the ninth time that CSK will feature in the tournament’s opener.
They went past Mumbai Indians, who have featured in eight opening games of the IPL season. Over the years, nine teams have featured in the tournament’s opener in 16 seasons at least once. But there are three teams that have not played the first game of any season so far. Here, we will talk about those three teams.
3. Lucknow Super Giants
Lucknow Super Giants made their entry to the IPL in 2021, along with Gujarat Titans, and made it a ten-team tournament. The IPL 2024 will be the third season for LSG, and they have made it to the playoffs in the previous two editions. However, in three seasons, they have not played the tournament’s opener yet. But GT, which made their debut with LSG, were part of the tournament’s opener in 2023.
2. Punjab Kings
Punjab Kings have been the most underperforming team in IPL history. Out of the 16 seasons they have played, PBKS have made the playoffs only two times, of which they made the final in 2014 under George Bailey but lost to Kolkata Knight Riders. Their underperformance can be one of the reasons that they don’t get the first game of an IPL season.
1. Rajasthan Royals
The winner of the inaugural season Rajasthan Royals, are surprisingly on this list. RR has played in three playoffs and played in the final of 2022, but lost to Gujarat Titans. They had a number of continuous seasons where they could not make it to the top four. That is one reason that the IPL governing committee has chosen them to be part of the tournament’s openers in any season.
