IPL 2025 set to start on March 21, Kolkata to host opener and final

To accommodate the Champions Trophy final, scheduled for March 9, the IPL decided to keep a close to two-week gap and set the start date for March 21

New Delhi: The IPL 2025 is scheduled to begin on March 21, with Eden Gardens hosting both the tournament opener and the final on May 25 As per a report by ESPNcricinfo, the WPL 2025 will take place from February 7 to March 2.

In an unprecedented move ahead of the mega auction in November, the IPL shared the windows for the next three seasons (2025-27) with the franchises. For 2025, the window was set between March 15 and May 25.

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However, to accommodate the Champions Trophy final, scheduled for March 9, the IPL decided to keep a close to two-week gap and set the start date for March 21. The full IPL schedule is expected to be released later this month.

As usual, the defending champions’ home venue will host both the opener and the final, which this year will be Eden Gardens, the home ground of Kolkata Knight Riders, who won the IPL 2024. The 2025 season will feature 74 matches, the same as the previous three seasons. However, this is ten fewer than the 84 matches originally listed in the IPL’s 2022 media rights tender for the 2023-27 cycle.

The tender mentioned varying match numbers per season: 74 games for 2023 and 2024, 84 games for 2025 and 2026, and up to 94 games for 2027. For the 2025 WPL, the BCCI has decided to introduce two new venues, alongside Mumbai and Bengaluru. The league will also be held in Baroda and Lucknow this year. The specific number of matches at each venue is yet to be confirmed, as the WPL schedule is yet to be announced.