IPL 2025 to kick off on March 14, final to be played on May 25; dates for next three seasons revealed - Report

By Sunita Iyer | First Published Nov 22, 2024, 9:00 AM IST

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has reportedly released the scheduled dates for its upcoming seasons, setting the stage for the next three years of the much-anticipated T20 tournament.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has reportedly released the scheduled dates for its upcoming seasons, setting the stage for the next three years of the much-anticipated T20 tournament. According to an ESPNCricinfo report, the 2025 season will kick off on March 14, with the final slated for May 25. The 2026 season will be held between March 15 and May 31, while the 2027 season will run from March 14 to May 30.

The announcement was made through an email to franchise owners, which was obtained by ESPNcricinfo. Although the IPL has termed these dates as "windows," they are likely to be finalized as the official schedule for the upcoming seasons.

EXCLUSIVE: The IPL has released the dates for the next three seasons!

Full story: https://t.co/LG2IJXR0Os pic.twitter.com/teajLosZvR

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo)

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In a significant change from previous years, the 2025 season will reportedly feature 74 matches, the same number as the last three editions. This is ten fewer matches than the 84 games originally listed for 2025 in the IPL's 2022 media rights tender, which had set a higher match count for some seasons.

In the tender document for the 2023-2027 media rights cycle, the IPL had reportedly outlined a varying number of matches: 74 matches for 2023 and 2024, 84 games for 2025 and 2026, and up to 94 matches in 2027, the final year of the current media rights cycle.

In a further boost to the tournament, overseas players from most Full Member countries are said to have confirmed their full availability for the next three seasons. This includes players from top cricketing nations such as Australia, England, South Africa, and the West Indies. However, players from Pakistan will continue to be excluded from the IPL, following the long-standing political stalemate between India and Pakistan that has prevented the inclusion of Pakistani cricketers since the inaugural season in 2008.

Here is the country-wise availability of overseas players for the IPL seasons between 2025 and 2027 as outlined by the report quoting the email:

Australia:

All Australian players, both international and domestic, are cleared to participate in the 2025 season.
For 2026, Australia’s three-match ODI series in Pakistan, ending no later than March 18, will impact availability. Players involved in this series and those resting after the T20 World Cup (scheduled for February-March 2026) will join the IPL following the Pakistan tour.
In 2027, Australian players will join the IPL after participating in the one-off Test match between Australia and England in March, commemorating 150 years of Test cricket.

England:

The ECB has listed 18 centrally contracted players who will be fully available for the IPL during the 2025-2027 seasons. Notably, England's Test captain Ben Stokes is missing from this list as he did not enter the 2025 IPL mega auction.
The list of fully available players includes: Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Olly Stone, and Reece Topley.
Some of these players may be "out of contract" during the 2025-2027 period, but while contracted, they will be available for the IPL.
England’s non-centrally contracted players will also be fully available.

South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe:

Players from these countries will be fully available for the IPL during 2025-2027.

Sri Lanka:

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has confirmed that its players will be fully available for the 2025 season. Players retained for 2026 and 2027 will again be available.

Bangladesh:

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has provided a list of 13 players with varying availability across the three seasons. The list includes:
- Taskin Ahmed
- Litton Kumar Das
- Mahedi Hasan
- Shakib Al Hasan
- Rishad Hossain
- Towhid Hridoy
- Shoriful Islam
- Shohidul Islam
- Hasan Mahmud
- Mehidy Hasan Miraz
- Mustafizur Rahman
- Nahid Rana
- Tanzim Hasan Sakib