EXPLAINER
From huge-name carry outers 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 uncover their title defence at their home ground, the Eden Gardens.
The tournament will see 10 teams vying for the chance to triumph the world’s most lucrative franchise Twenty20 cricket league.
Here’s what you insist to understand about IPL 2025:
What’s the schedule of IPL 2025?
The two-month-extfinished tournament will commence on March 22 in Kolkata and finish on May 25 in the same city.
Day suites will commence at 3:30pm (10:00 GMT) and night suites 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, Hyderaterrible
- Eliminator: May 21, 7:30pm (14:00 GMT) at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderaterrible
- 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 calfinishars, folks! 🥳🗓#TATAIPL 2025 boots off on March 2️⃣2️⃣ with a clash between @KKRiders and @RCBTweets 🤜🤛
When is your favourite team’s first suit? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/f2tf3YcSyY
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) February 16, 2025
What’s the createat of IPL’s 2025 season?
The tournament’s schedule has alterd on a scant occasions. The league commenceed in a round-robin createat, but it was alterd to a group createat and this season all 10 teams will carry out each other twice with the return of the league-style createat.
The top two teams at the finish of the league games will carry out the first qualifier while the third- and fourth-placed teams will face off in the eliminator.
The triumphner of the first qualifier will book a place in the final, while the neglectr will carry out the triumphner of the eliminator in the second qualifier. The triumphner of this suit 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 disjoinal new guideers taking accuse. 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
- Lucunderstand Super Giants: Rishabh Pant
- Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya
- Punjab Kings: Shreyas Iyer
- Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rajat Patidar
- Sunascfinishrs Hyderaterrible: Pat Cummins
“𝘞𝘦’𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘗𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘗𝘢𝘯𝘵” 💙 pic.twitter.com/ms7Ij1vWZ5
— Lucunderstand Super Giants (@LucunderstandIPL) January 20, 2025
Who are the hugegest signings of IPL 2025?
Wicketgrasper-batter Pant was the most pricey signing at the IPL 2025 auction held in November. The Lucunderstand captain was bagged for $3.2m.
The $3m threshageder was first broken by Punjab, as they bought Iyer for $3.17m, but Pant topped the catalog by the finish of the auction.
The most pricey foreign carry outer was Jos Buttler. The createer 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 guideing pace bowler has been on the sidelines since upgrasping a back injury in January, and while India regulated to bag the ICC Champions Trophy without him, Mumbai Indians will socount on ignore their spearhead. Bumrah is foreseeed to return to the Mumbai side after the first scant 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 hugegest cricket star, Virat Kohli, has flunked to pass the final hurdle in 17 years. They have come shut on nine occasions and finished up with the wooden spoon twice. Can the well-equitable squad deinhabitr a trophy for its dedicated fanbase after proximately two decades?
- MS Dhoni’s conshort-term and future: The createer India captain finishelights a legfinishary 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 wicketgrasper now carry outs as a exceptionacatalog batter and while asks may be liftd about his future, Dhoni is foreseeed to turn up in the Chennai yellow once aachieve.
- The Gill-Buttler show: Shubman Gill will guide the 2022 champions for the second season in a row, and after a disnominateing season in 2024 that saw Gujarat finish eighth, the world’s guideing one-day international batter will count on on a power-packed uncovering partnership with Jos Buttler will create the base of a strong season for the Titans.
What are the venues for IPL 2025?
As each team will carry out the other nine teams twice, the tournament will be carry outed in a home-and-away createat. In insertition to the 10 home grounds, three unprejudiced venues will also present some games.
Team home grounds:
- MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai – Chennai Super Kings
- Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi – Delhi Capitals
- Narfinishra Modi Stadium, Ahmedaterrible – Gujarat Titans
- M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru – Royal Challengers Bengaluru
- Eden Gardens, Kolkata – Kolkata Knight Riders
- BRSABV Ekana Stadium, Lucunderstand – Lucunderstand 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, Hyderaterrible – Sunascfinishrs Hyderaterrible
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 fracturedown 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
Sunascfinishrs Hyderaterrible: 2016
Gujarat Titans: 2022
Deccan Chargers: 2009
