IPL 2025 start date confirmed as BCCI VP Rajeev Shukla makes big announcement

by · Inside Sport India

IPL 2025 is set to start on March 23 giving Indian players two-week break after the ICC Champions Trophy. The final is likely on May 25.

BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla has made a big announcement after the Special General Meeting in Mumbai. IPL 2025 will begin on March 23, following the same schedule pattern as previous editions. The IPL 2025 Final will likely be played on May 25, Sunday, giving BCCI a 64-day window for the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League.

“The IPL will begin from 23 March,” Rajeev Shukla told reporters in Mumbai on Sunday after the BCCI AGM.

Will IPL start date be advanced?

However, despite confirmation, the IPL 2025 start date could be advanced to March 21 as it falls on a Friday due to broadcaster demands. With Friday as the start date, IPL could have two doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday to kick start the tournament.

However, the catch is the ICC Champions Trophy. The CT 2025 final is on March 9. If the IPL starts on March 23, it will allow them at least a 10-day break before joining their respective franchises.

There is also the case of WPL 2025. Even though the Women’s Premier League will be played in a caravan format, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Mumbai and Vadodara are frontrunners to host the tournament. However, three venues will host IPL matches. To keep the pitches fresh, BCCI may stick to the March 23 start date.

No clarity on WPL start date

Despite announcing the IPL start date, the BCCI VP did not offer any clarity on the WPL 2025 start date. Shukla announced that the WPL schedule will be announced in due course.

Earlier, it was reported that WPL would start in early February, most likely on Feb 9 with the final on March 2. If the WPL ends on March 2, it will help the state associations some time to prepare pitches for IPL.

State associations need at least a month to prepare pitches for IPL. In that case, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Lucknow Super Giants may play home matches only in mid-April.