All to know about the IPL 2025: Captains, schedule, prize money, venues

EXPLAINER

The Kolkata Knight Riders will kick off their title defense at their home ground, Eden Gardens, on Saturday, with the return of the Indian Premier League for its 18th season.

Ten teams will compete for the title to the world’s most lucrative franchise Twenty20 cricket league during the tournament.

What information is necessary for IPL 2025 for you:

What is the IPL 2025 schedule?

The two-month-long competition will begin in Kolkata on March 22 and wrap up there on May 25.

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 period: March 22 through May 18.
• First qualifying game is scheduled for May 20 at 7:30 p.m. (15:00 GMT) at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
• Eliminator is scheduled for May 21 at 7:30 p.m. (14:00 GMT) at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
• Second qualifier: May 23, 7: 30pm (14: 00 GMT) at Eden Gardens, Kolkata
• Final: May 25, &nbsp, 7: 30pm (14: 00 GMT) at Eden Gardens, Kolkata

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What will the 2025 IPL season entail?

The tournament’s schedule has occasionally changed. All 10 teams will play each other twice this season with the return of the league-style format, which was originally a round-robin format.

The first qualifier will pit the top two league teams against each other in the final game, while the third- and fourth-placed teams will square off in the eliminator.

The winner of the first qualifier will advance to the final, while the loser will face the eliminator’s winner in the third qualifier. The winner of this contest will advance to the final with the help of the other team.

Who are the IPL 2025 team captains?

Before this season’s start, there has been some chopping and changing, with several new leaders taking over. The teams’ captains are listed below:

Ruturaj Gaikwad, the Chennai Super Kings
• Axar Patel, the capital of Delhi
• Shubman Gill, one of the Gujarat Titans
• Ajinkya Rahane, Ajinkya Rahane, Kolkata Knight Riders
• Rishabh Pant, Lucknow Super Giants,
• Hardik Pandya, Indians in Mumbai
• Shreyas Iyer, one of the Punjab Kings
• Sanju Samson, Rajasthan Royals
• Bengaluru’s Royal Challengers: Rajat Patidar
• Hyderabad Sunrisers: Pat Cummins

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Who will make the biggest IPL 2025 signings?

At the November IPL 2025 auction, the most expensive signing was Wicketkeeper-Batter Pant. For $3. 2 million, the Lucknow captain was purchased.

Punjab first broke the $3 million barrier when they purchased Iyer for $3.17 million, but Pant had already surpassed it by the time the auction was over.

Jos Buttler was the most expensive foreign player. Gujarat signed the former England white-ball captain for $1.8 million.

What are the main IPL 2025 talking points?

Fitness of Jasprit Bumrah: The world’s best pace bowler has been sidelined since January, and while India did not lose him, Mumbai Indians will be deeply missed. After the first few games, Bumrah is expected to start for the Mumbai side, but his absence could seriously hurt the five-time champions, who finished last in the previous season.
• Virat Kohli, one of India’s biggest cricket players, has failed to pass the final hurdle in 17 years thanks to RCB’s voodoo. Nine times, they came close, and they each received the wooden spoon twice. Can the balanced squad, who has loyal fans for almost 20 years, win a trophy?
• Present and future of MS Dhoni: The former India captain is renowned among Chennai fans. Dhoni has led his franchise in all five of their IPL titles despite having hung up his boots for India six years ago. Dhoni is expected to return to the Chennai yellow once more despite speculation that he may become a specialist batter at the start of his career.
• The 2022 champions will be led by Shubman Gill for the second year in a row by the Gill-Buttler show. Gujarat finished eighth in the world’s leading one-day international batter after a disappointing season in 2024. A powerful opening partnership with Jos Buttler will serve as the Titans’ foundation for a successful season.

Where will IPL 2025 take place?

The tournament will be played in a home-and-away format because each team will face the other nine teams twice. Three neutral locations will also host some games in addition to the 10 home fields.

Homebase for the team:

• Chennai Super Kings at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai
• New Delhi Capitals Arun Jaitley Stadium
• Gujarat Titans at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
• Royal Challengers Bengaluru at M Chinnaswamy Stadium
• Kolkata Knight Riders, Kolkata, Eden Gardens
• Lucknow Super Giants vs. BRSABV Ekana Stadium
• Mumbai Indians vs. Wankhede Stadium
• Punjab Kings vs. Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium
• Rajasthan Royals vs. Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
• Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium

neutral locations:

• The Visakhapatnam Cricket Stadium is home to Dr. YS Rajasekhara Reddy, who is also a vice president of the ACA-VDCA.
• Guwahati’s Barsapara Cricket Stadium
• Himachal Pradesh’s Dharamsala Stadium

What is the IPL 2025 prize money?

The knockout rounds’ prize money breakdown is:

• Champion: $2.32m
• Runners-up: $1.5m
• Third place: $810, 800
• Fourth place: $752, 894

Who were the champions of the IPL in the past?

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