IPL 2025 to begin on March 21 at Eden Gardens
12 Jan 2025

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 will start from March 21, with the opening and final matches to be held at Eden Gardens.

The final will be held on May 25.

The tradition of hosting the opening and closing games at the home venue of the previous year's champions will continue this year.

Kolkata Knight Riders, who lifted the title in 2024, are based at Eden Gardens.

Here are further details.

IPL 2025 to feature 74 matches
Tournament details

The 2025 season of the IPL will see 74 matches, just like the last three seasons.

This is fewer than the anticipated 84 games that were first announced by the IPL in 2022 when the media rights for the 2023-27 cycle were sold.

The first two qualifiers will be played at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, while Eden Gardens will host the second playoff and final match.

It is expected that the final schedule will be announced soon.

IPL adopts ICC's code of conduct for players
New regulations

In a major departure, the IPL will now be governed by the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Code of Conduct for players participating in the tournament.

The development comes after Jay Shah took over as the ICC chair.

Earlier, the league had its own set of rules but has now adopted ICC's rules which are applicable to all leagues around the world.

Mega auction saw 182 players sold for ₹639.15 crore
Auction results

The mega auction, held over two days in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia last year, saw a total of 182 players being sold for ₹639.15 crore.

The 10 participating teams mostly concentrated on bolstering their squads after retaining their key players.

With the tournament nearing, a few franchises have already started their pre-season training camps.

WPL 2025 to commence on February 7
Women's tournament

On the other hand, the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2025 will be held from February 7 to March 2.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has increased the number of venues for the WPL by adding two new ones.

Apart from Mumbai and Bengaluru, matches will also be played in Baroda and Lucknow this year.