IPL 2025: KKR to face RCB in tournament kickoff at Eden Gardens on March 22

Synopsis

The IPL 2025 season will commence on March 22 with defending champions KKR clashing against RCB at Eden Gardens. This exciting tournament will run for 65 days, featuring 74 matches across 13 venues, following the conclusion of the Champions Trophy.

Key Takeaways

Kolkata Knight Riders to play Royal Challengers Bengaluru on March 22.
The tournament features 10 teams and lasts for 65 days.
Matches will be held across 13 venues.
Kolkata will also host Qualifier 2 and the final.
RCB has appointed Rajat Patidar as captain.

New Delhi, Feb 16 (NationPress) The reigning champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are set to clash with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the inaugural match of the IPL 2025 at their home ground, Eden Gardens, on March 22. This ten-team tournament will kick off nearly two weeks after the Champions Trophy concludes on March 9.

The schedule was unveiled by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) via broadcasters JioHotstar on Sunday, featuring 74 IPL 2025 matches across 13 venues over a span of 65 days.

Kolkata is also set to host Qualifier 2 on May 23 and the championship match on May 25, while Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator will take place in Hyderabad on May 20 and 21, respectively. Previously, Kolkata hosted the IPL finals in 2013 and 2015, where Mumbai Indians (MI) claimed victory.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), the runners-up of IPL 2024, will face the 2008 champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on March 23. That evening, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI), the two most decorated teams in IPL history with five titles each, will compete at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in what marks the first double-header of IPL 2025.

CSK and MI will meet again for a reverse fixture at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 20. Delhi Capitals (DC) will kick off their IPL 2025 journey against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Visakhapatnam on March 24, while the 2022 champions Gujarat Titans (GT) are scheduled to begin their season against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Ahmedabad on March 25.

Visakhapatnam and Guwahati will host two home matches each for DC and RR, while PBKS will hold three home games in Dharamsala. KKR and DC are yet to announce their new captains for the IPL 2025 season. RCB, on the other hand, has recently named Rajat Patidar as their new captain, while Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant were previously declared as the new skippers of PBKS and LSG, respectively.