The Indian Premier League’s (IPL) 2024 season has pulled up to its final overs with some thrilling cricket showdowns in the offing. This 17th edition which started on March 27 will see its final match be held on May 26.
IPL, the Twenty20 cricket league tournament held by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), is one of the highlights of the cricketing world and cricket fans globally, only second to the Cricket World Cup. In fact, this sporting franchise is the world’s richest (yep, wealthier than the NBA and NFL too) and is single-handedly credited with ushering cricket’s return to the Olympics program.
How many teams are in the Indian Premier League?
10 franchise teams representing major Indian cities and states like Mumbai, Delhi, Gujarat and Rajasthan, fight for the IPL championship at this annual event. Some teams are owned by Bollywood celebrities like Shahrukh Khan and business tycoons such as Mukesh Ambani and involve dramatic player auctions and trade-offs every three years. This year 74 matches were played across 13 cities.
Where are the IPL final matches happening?
Currently, the IPL Eliminator Matches are ongoing and will decide which teams will move up the leaderboard and make it to the finals. Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals are the 4 teams duking it out in the eliminator rounds. The next eliminator match is on May 24 between Rajasthan and Hyderabad. The final match will take place on May 26 at Chennai’s Chepauk Stadium in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Where to watch IPL 2024 matches live in Dubai
Even if you can’t make it to Chennai for the closing ceremony, you can experience the thrill of big crowds here at these Dubai venues screening live IPL matches. You’ll hear the deafening cheers of frenzied fans and the signature IPL trumpet theme tune long before you step foot at these joints!
1. Mahi Cafe
Mahendra Singh Dhoni fans, sadly this new shisha cafe and restaurant in Al Nahda isn’t named after your favourite cricketer. But they’re embodying the spirit of the gentleman’s game with live screenings of IPL on a massive 185-inch screen and multiple smaller LED screens. On May 26, a special deal of AED 45 per person will get you a starter, a beverage and a shisha.
Call 0569311300
2. One Music Lounge, Occidental Hotel
This Jumeirah eatery is the place to park yourself at during IPL season. With a variety of F&B packages for cricket season, you can easily spend hours here screaming at the many big screens while nervously noshing on starters and knocking back veers. The IPL Lite package of AED 99 per person includes three hops and a starter, IPL Fan Club bundles 5 beers of your choice and 2 starters for AED 149 per person. When the matches take strategic timeouts, a live DJ and dancers will keep the entertainment going.
Call 055 200 5475
3. Roxy Cinemas, various locations
Watching this defining cricket series on the big screen doesn’t get any bigger or high-definition than this! Multiplex chain Roxy Cinemas will be screening all the epic IPL showdowns, right until the final match across their branches in Dubai Hills Mall, The Beach JBR, City Walk, Boxpark and Al Khawaneej Walk. You can book a Roxy Silver Ticket for AED 40 and kickback in plush reclining seats if you’re not on the edge of them during the nail-biting face-offs. For bookings and info click here
4. High Note Pool and Lounge
This poolside nightspot in Aloft Al Mina hotel in Sheikh Rashid street is hitting it out of the boundary with food deals and a bunch of LED screens to catch the matches. Unlimited packages start from AED 99 and 25% discounts on all food items are just a few of the many IPL offers they’ve got.
Call 058 591 8153 or 50 254 6782 for bookings
5. Headlines
This desi nightlife venue nestled inside the Ibis Hotel in Dubai World Trade has set up giant screens to broadcast the IPL eliminators and finals. Special buy-one-get-one-free deals on drinks and live unplugged music sessions after the matches will stump you with great entertainment all day long.
Call 0523377510 for reservations
6. Huddle Sports Bar
Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai may not have made it to the IPL finals, but you can take comfort in the quintessential street foods of these cities while cheering other teams at this family-friendly sports bar. Their branches in Citymax Al Barsha and Citymax Bur Dubai are screening matches live along with a limited-edition IPL-themed menu of dishes like Mumbai Jhakass Sandwich, Chennai Chilli chicken, Delhi Tandoori Wings and Rajasthan Royal Kachori chaat from AED 40. Deals of three cocktail hattricks of AED 125 or 2 pints and chicken tikka for AED 89 are also available.
Call 050 100 7046 (Barsha) and 050 100 7065 (Bur Dubai)
7. Sherlock Holmes English Pub
Forget whodunnits, this old-timer watering hole in Bur Dubai’s Arabian Courtyard Hotel is the place to discover ‘who won it’. They’re showing all the IPL matches until May 26. What’ll have you yelling Howzzat! though, are happy hour deals from 12pm-3am that drop the prices of select beverages to straight half with a 50% discount.
Call 056 696 7082 or 043519111 for bookings
8. Korma Sutra
This cheekily named Barsha joint is bowling out cricket buffs with more than their trippy interiors. The multicuisine restaurant and shisha cafe has a BOGO deal on starters, and reduced rates for shisha during match hours from 6pm- 10pm.
Call 04 285 9906