New Delhi, February 16 – The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday announced the schedule for the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025), set to commence on March 22 and feature 74 matches across 13 venues. As part of the tournament’s structure, three franchises will play at least two home matches at their designated secondary home grounds.
The season opener will take place at Eden Gardens, where Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on March 22. The tournament will conclude at the same venue on May 25. Over the course of 65 days, the league will feature 12 double-header days and matches in cities including Dharamshala, Guwahati, and Visakhapatnam.
As per tradition, Punjab Kings will play their secondary home matches at Dharamshala, alongside Mullanpur (New Chandigarh). Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals will split their home games between Jaipur and Guwahati, while Delhi Capitals will host two matches in Visakhapatnam, beginning their campaign there on March 24 against Lucknow Super Giants.
Among the notable fixtures, March 23 will feature the season’s first double-header, with Sunrisers Hyderabad taking on Rajasthan Royals in Hyderabad during the day, followed by a highly anticipated clash between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai later in the evening.
The playoff stage will be hosted in Hyderabad and Kolkata. Hyderabad will host the first qualifier (May 20) and the eliminator (May 21), while Kolkata will host the second qualifier on May 23, leading up to the final on May 25 at Eden Gardens.
The league continues its two-group format, introduced in 2022 when the tournament expanded to 10 teams. Group A features Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings, and Punjab Kings, while Group B consists of Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians, and Lucknow Super Giants.
As per the format, each team will play twice against teams within their group and one designated team from the other group, while facing the remaining four teams from the opposite group once.
