New Delhi, 16 Feb: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the defending champions, will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the opening match of IPL 2025 at Eden Gardens on March 22.
The tournament, featuring ten teams, begins nearly two weeks after the Champions Trophy concludes on March 9.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the schedule through broadcasters JioHotstar on Sunday, confirming that 74 matches will be played across 13 venues over 65 days.
Kolkata will also host the second qualifier on May 23 and the final on May 25, while Hyderabad will stage Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator on May 20 and 21, respectively.
Kolkata has previously hosted IPL finals in 2013 and 2015, with Mumbai Indians (MI) emerging victorious on both occasions.
Runners-up of IPL 2024, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), will begin their campaign against 2008 champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on March 23.
The same evening, five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) will meet at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in IPL 2025’s first double-header. Their reverse fixture is scheduled at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on April 20.
Delhi Capitals (DC) will open their season against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Visakhapatnam on March 24, while 2022 winners Gujarat Titans (GT) will face Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Ahmedabad on March 25.
Visakhapatnam and Guwahati will serve as alternate home venues for DC and RR, respectively, hosting two matches each. PBKS will play three home games in Dharamsala.
KKR and DC have yet to confirm their new captains for IPL 2025. RCB recently named Rajat Patidar as their skipper, while Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant were previously appointed as captains of PBKS and LSG, respectively.
