EXPLAINER
From big-name players to key talking points, Al Jazeera’s lowdown on cricket’s most lucrative franchise T20 league.
The Indian Premier League is set to return for its 18th season on Saturday as the Kolkata Knight Riders open their title defence at their home ground, the Eden Gardens.
The tournament will see 10 teams vying for the chance to win the world’s most lucrative franchise Twenty20 cricket league.
Here’s what you need to know about IPL 2025:
What’s the schedule of IPL 2025?
The two-month-long tournament will begin on March 22 in Kolkata and conclude on May 25 in the same city.
Day matches will begin at 3:30pm (10:00 GMT) and night matches will get under way at 7:30pm (14:00 GMT).
- Round-robin phase: March 22 to May 18
- First qualifier: May 20, 7:30pm (14:00 GMT) at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
- Eliminator: May 21, 7:30pm (14:00 GMT) at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
- Second qualifier: May 23, 7:30pm (14:00 GMT) at Eden Gardens, Kolkata
- Final: May 25, 7:30pm (14:00 GMT) at Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Mark your calendars, folks! #TATAIPL 2025 kicks off on March 2⃣2⃣ with a clash between @KKRiders and @RCBTweets
When is your favourite team’s first match? pic.twitter.com/f2tf3YcSyY
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) February 16, 2025
What’s the format of IPL’s 2025 season?
The tournament’s schedule has changed on a few occasions. The league started in a round-robin format, but it was changed to a group format and this season all 10 teams will play each other twice with the return of the league-style format.
The top two teams at the end of the league games will play the first qualifier while the third- and fourth-placed teams will face off in the eliminator.
The winner of the first qualifier will book a place in the final, while the loser will play the winner of the eliminator in the second qualifier. The winner of this match will become the second team to qualify for the final.
Who are the team captains for IPL 2025?
There has been some chopping and changing ahead of this season, with several new leaders taking charge. Here are the teams and their captains:
- Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad
- Delhi Capitals: Axar Patel
- Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill
- Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane
- Lucknow Super Giants: Rishabh Pant
- Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya
- Punjab Kings: Shreyas Iyer
- Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rajat Patidar
- Sunrisers Hyderabad: Pat Cummins
“𝘞𝘦’𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘗𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘗𝘢𝘯𝘵” pic.twitter.com/ms7Ij1vWZ5
— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) January 20, 2025
Who are the biggest signings of IPL 2025?
Wicketkeeper-batter Pant was the most expensive signing at the IPL 2025 auction held in November. The Lucknow captain was bagged for $3.2m.
The $3m threshold was first broken by Punjab, as they bought Iyer for $3.17m, but Pant topped the list by the end of the auction.
The most expensive foreign player was Jos Buttler. The former England white-ball captain was signed by Gujarat for $1.8m.
What are the key talking points ahead of IPL 2025?
- Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness: The world’s leading pace bowler has been on the sidelines since sustaining a back injury in January, and while India managed to bag the ICC Champions Trophy without him, Mumbai Indians will sorely miss their spearhead. Bumrah is expected to return to the Mumbai side after the first few games, but his absence could deal a substantial blow to the five-time champions, who finished last in the previous season.
- RCB’s voodoo: The franchise that’s been home to arguably India’s biggest cricket star, Virat Kohli, has failed to pass the final hurdle in 17 years. They have come close on nine occasions and ended up with the wooden spoon twice. Can the well-balanced squad deliver a trophy for its faithful fanbase after nearly two decades?
- MS Dhoni’s present and future: The former India captain enjoys a legendary status amongst the Chennai fans. Despite having hung up his boots for India six years ago, Dhoni has been going strong for his franchise and has led them in all five of their IPL titles. The wicketkeeper now plays as a specialist batter and while questions may be raised about his future, Dhoni is expected to turn up in the Chennai yellow once again.
- The Gill-Buttler show: Shubman Gill will lead the 2022 champions for the second season in a row, and after a disappointing season in 2024 that saw Gujarat finish eighth, the world’s leading one-day international batter will rely on a power-packed opening partnership with Jos Buttler will form the base of a strong season for the Titans.
What are the venues for IPL 2025?
As each team will play the other nine teams twice, the tournament will be played in a home-and-away format. In addition to the 10 home grounds, three neutral venues will also host some games.
Team home grounds:
- MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai – Chennai Super Kings
- Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi – Delhi Capitals
- Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad – Gujarat Titans
- M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru – Royal Challengers Bengaluru
- Eden Gardens, Kolkata – Kolkata Knight Riders
- BRSABV Ekana Stadium, Lucknow – Lucknow Super Giants
- Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai – Mumbai Indians
- Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Punjab – Punjab Kings
- Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur – Rajasthan Royals
- Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad – Sunrisers Hyderabad
Neutral venues:
- Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam
- Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati
- HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh
What’s the prize money for IPL 2025?
The prize money breakdown for the knockout rounds is:
- Champion: $2.32m
- Runners-up: $1.5m
- Third place: $810,800
- Fourth place: $752,894
Who are past IPL champions?
Chennai Super Kings: 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2023
Mumbai Indians: 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020
Kolkata Knight Riders: 2012, 2014, 2024
Rajasthan Royals: 2008
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 2016
Gujarat Titans: 2022
Deccan Chargers: 2009
