March Madness: The Adjusted Start Date for IPL Season 18 Explained
CricketPanditThe schedule for the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been slightly adjusted, with the tournament now set to kick off a week later than initially planned. According to pandit, the season will start on March 21 in Kolkata, with the final expected to be held on May 25 at the same location.
There are two perspectives regarding the changes to the Season 18 schedule. In a previous message to the franchises on November 22, prior to the IPL auction in Jeddah, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) indicated that the tournament would take place from “Friday, March 14, to Sunday, May 25, 2025.” The BCCI also shared the dates for the next two IPL seasons.
However, it is now suggested that those dates were only meant to indicate the reserved window for the season, not the definitive schedule. The second perspective points to a request from broadcasters for a later start, considering the Champions Trophy final is set for March 9, just five days before the originally scheduled IPL start. Nevertheless, sources within the broadcasting network have denied making any such request.
The venues for the key matches are as expected. Eden Gardens, home to the Kolkata Knight Riders, champions of IPL 2024, will host both the opening match and the final, following the tradition of holding these games in the winning team’s home city. Meanwhile, the SunRisers Hyderabad, last season’s runners-up, will host two playoff matches.
The exact schedule is anticipated to be released in the coming days, now that the BCCI has appointed a full-term secretary, Devjit Saikia, and treasurer, Prabhtej Singh Bhatia. Both officials were elected during the Special General Meeting held in Mumbai on Sunday (January 12).
Additionally, BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla mentioned that the Champions Trophy squad will be announced on January 17 or 18, according to cricket pandit reports .The BCCI vice-president announced that the venues for the Women’s Premier League (WPL) have been finalized and will be revealed soon.
