Eden Gardens — The home ground of the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders is confirmed to host the opening clash of the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) 18th season on 23rd March 2025 (Friday). The same venue has been assigned to carry out the final match on May 25 (Sunday).
According to the earlier information provided by the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), the tournament was supposed to begin from March 14 (Friday) onwards, with the final date remaining the same. But, the Board’s vice-president Rajeev Shukla confirmed the dates after the Special General Meeting (SGM) held in Mumbai on Sunday (January 12).
What will IPL 2025 feature?
The Indian Premier League 2025 season will involve 74 matches, which will be just the same as the previous 3 editions.
But this IPL season has 10 matches fewer than the originally listed IPL 2022 media rights tender for the 2023-27 cycle, which had mentioned a total of 84 matches.
This time, IPL 2025 will again feature a Round-Robin format, where each team will compete against others with a combination of home and away venue matches held across the country.
Similar to the previous edition, the tournament follows the same model with the top four out of ten teams qualifying for the playoffs, making the league much more intriguing and competitive.
Reason Behind IPL 2025 Schedule Change
According to the latest reports, 2 different reasons are circulating for the change in the IPL 2025 schedule.
Originally, the BCCI had indicated that the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League would start on 14th March and might conclude on 25th May 2025. However, these dates were not the official announcement.
One of the main reasons for the IPL 2025 delay is that the broadcasters requested a later start. This is because they wanted to consider the final of ‘Champions Trophy 2025’, which is scheduled for 9th March.
However, it is said that few sources within these broadcasting networks have refrained from proposing such a demand.
What is the NEW INTRODUCTION in IPL 2025?
Reportedly, the 2025 season of the cash-rich IPL (Indian Premier League) will have to follow and adhere to the “ICC Code of Conduct,” which was confirmed during the meeting on Sunday, January 12th, 2025.
It is said that from now on International Cricket Council’s penalties will be imposed for offenses falling under Levels 1, 2, or 3.
As of now, the Indian Premier League has its unique ‘Code of Conduct’ but hereafter all the playing conditions in the IPL 2025 will have to follow the regulations of ICC T20I. And, all of this information was provided by an IPL Governing Council member who chose to maintain the anonymity of these revelations.
BCCI Vice President confirms the starting date!
The IPL 2025 is the most anticipated league, which is the 18th season of the prestigious Indian Premier League. In the recent SGM (Special General Meeting) held on 12th January 2025, Rajeev Shukla, the Vice President of BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) confirmed by saying that IPL 2025 is going to start from 23rd March.
On the other side, the senior Governing Council member revealed the tournament’s commencement on March 21 or 22. However, the exact schedule and the number of matches at each venue will be revealed soon in the forthcoming days.
IPL 2025 Playoffs Venue
The first two rounds of the playoffs— Qualifier 1 and Eliminator, take place at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad tentatively scheduled on May 20 and May 21. While Eden Gardens hosts the Qualifier 2 (May 23) and the final match of the season (May 25).
Final Opinion
As the previous edition commenced on 22nd March 2024 and wrapped up on 26th May 2024, possibly the IPL 2025 is likely to start on March 23. It is understood that the tournament will kickstart two weeks after the conclusion of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final on March 09.
According to the earlier reports, the number of matches in IPL 2025 and 2026 was supposed to be increased to 84, with a possibility of extending the count upto 94 games in 2027. But, Shukla’s statement confirms that the 65-day tournament played in the upcoming season will be the same as the preceding three versions.
Finally, it is expected that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will appear in the season opener of IPL 2025 at Eden Gardens having won against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 8 wickets in the previous year’s final.