Why MI vs RR is 1000th match of IPL instead of CSK vs MI? Here's all you need to know about confusion

Mumbai Indians are set to face Rajasthan Royals in the 1000th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on April 30, Sunday. Interestingly, the match is set to be played on MI skipper Rohit Sharma's 36th birthday and it will be played at their home ground, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. However, earlier there was confusion about the match played on May 6 between Chennai Super Kings and MI to be the 1000th game. What is the entire matter? Let's find out.

Ahead of the 2023 edition of IPL, a total of 951 matches were played and according to this the 49th game which is the match between CSK and MI at the MA Chidambaram stadium should have been considered the 1000th game in the history of the tournament. However, the above-mentioned total doesn't include seven matches that ended in no result and were abandoned without a single ball being bowled. 

Even though there wasn't any result from such matches, they have to be mentioned in the count of official matches. And if these matches are counted in the total then the recalculated matches before the beginning of the ongoing season becomes (951 + 7)  958 matches and according to this, the 1000th game will be the 42nd game i.e. MI vs RR game.

IPL 2023: FAQs

• How are the teams divided into groups for the league stage?

10 teams are divided into two groups of 5 teams each.
Group A - Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals, Lucknow Super Giants
Group B - Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings, Gujarat Titans

• What are the rules for the league stage matches?

Each team will play 2 matches with teams of the other group and 1 match against the teams of their own group in the league stage match. For example, RCB (Group B) will face KKR (Group A) twice and CSK (Group B) once during the league stage. The top four teams will then make it to the playoffs.