The 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is going to begin on March 21, as the vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Rajeev Shukla, has confirmed. During a recent interaction on India Today, the veteran confirmed the opening date and the final of the tournament.
The delayed decision of the IPL 2025 has come on the back of the schedule of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which is now going to start on February 19 and end on March 09, as India will play all of their group games at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The governing body has decided to keep a gap of at least two weeks between the end of the two marquee events. The decision was taken during the review meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The key decisions on the appointment of the new treasurer and the secretary were also made as the clarity on the Women’s Premier League’s (WPL) venue is nearly finalized.
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The last season’s IPL in 2024 started on March 24 between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the winner of the 2023 season, Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Rajeev Shukla had mistakenly announced the date of the 2025 season as March 23 before correcting it to March 21.
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They have already announced the appointment of a new commissioner for a one-year term. The next meeting, scheduled for January 18 and 10, will focus on the selection of the squad for the blue brigade for the upcoming Champions Trophy.
With the IPL starting on the last week of March, the newly appointed BCCI secretary, Devajit Saikia, has weighed on the busy schedule for the players going forward, as the successive events will be demanding significant challenge and coordination.
A total number of 182 players went under the hammer during the mega auction of the season for a price of INR 639.15 crore over two days in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Most of the ten franchises, especially the two finalists, Kolkata Knight Riders and the Sunrisers Hyderabad were focused on retaining the same squad.
In the lead-up to the auction, during the meeting with the BCCI and the IPL council, a few owners of the respective franchises discussed the change of several rules. Some teams expressed their concern about the mega auction, fearing the loss of the players they had scouted and developed, while a few demanded heavy penalties for the players who didn’t turn up to the competition after getting picked for a lower price than anticipated.
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The auction was dominated by the two marquee sets of players. Rishabh Pant, India’s wicket-keeper batter, became the most expensive player of the league for a price of INR 27 crore as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) earned his services, while Shreyas Iyer ended as the second-most costliest player for a price of INR 26.75 crore.
The iconic Eden Gardens will host the season opener of the IPL 2025 along with the final, while the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, the home base of the Sunrisers Hyderabad, will arrange the two games of the playoffs. A total of 74 games will take place in 2025, ten less than it was promised during the deals. A maximum of 94 encounters for the final edition of the deal in 2027 is expected to take place.