The Indian Premier League – the world’s biggest T20 franchise tournament – returns for its 17th edition on Friday.

Here is everything you need to know.

When does the IPL 2024 start?

It gets under way on Friday, 22 March with defending champions Chennai Super Kings hosting Royal Challengers Bangalore from 14:30 GMT.

We could see MS Dhoni v Virat Kohli in the opening game. Box office.

What is the IPL 2024 schedule & when is the final?

The Lok Sabha elections in India are due to take place between 19 April and 1 June which means the full schedule has not yet been released.

The fixtures for the first two weeks have been announced with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) saying the remainder would be announced in due course.

The date for the final is unknown, but the last weekend in May is likely.

What is the format for the IPL 2024?

The teams are split into two groups of five and each play 14 group games. They play the teams in their group once and the other group twice (home and away). The results form one table.

The play-offs begin with first v second from the group stage for a place in the final.

Third and fourth then play with the loser eliminated. The winner of that match faces the loser of the first play-off for the second final place.

Are there any new rules?

Just one. Players are now allowed to bowl two bouncers per over, instead of one.

The sides will continue to name their teams after the toss, including five substitutes. The ‘impact player’ rule, which allows one of those subs to be used, has been kept. The player coming in must be Indian, unless the team has not used their four overseas players.

Wide and no-ball calls can still be reviewed.

Which England players are in the IPL 2024?

There are 13 English players signed to teams, including powerful Somerset wicketkeeper Tom Kohler-Cadmore for the first time. Surrey all-rounder Will Jacks may also play, having been unused last year.

Lancashire left-arm seamer Luke Wood is also involved for the first time having joined Mumbai Indians as an injury replacement for Australia’s Jason Behrendorff.

There are plenty of absentees though.

Batter Harry Brook has pulled out following the death of his grandmother, while bowlers Mark Wood and Gus Atkinson and batter Jason Roy have opted out to manage their workload.

Test captain Ben Stokes and batter Joe Root opted not to enter the auction for the same reasons.

What other changes and stories are there?

One of the big changes has seen Gujarat skipper Hardik Pandya return to Mumbai Indians and take the captaincy from Rohit Sharma.

Australia left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc has joined Kolkata Knight Riders for a record £2.3m, while international team-mate Pat Cummins has taken the captaincy at Sunrisers Hyderabad.

India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant is expected to play for the first time since a car crash in December 2022, and might captain Capitals.

New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra (Chennai Super Kings) and Sri Lanka seamer Dilshan Madushanka (Mumbai Indians) are both involved for the first time after impressive 50-over World Cups in the country last year.

Mumbai and Chennai both have five titles and will be looking to win a record sixth.

How to follow the IPL 2024 on the BBC

There will be commentary on more than 40 games, including the opener and final, on BBC Sounds, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and the BBC Sport website and app (UK only).

You can get match and wicket alerts for your favourite team straight to your phone via the app, plus live scorecards of every game, major news stories and match reports on the website.