IPL - What's new this time? Who is the new captain?
IPL 2025 begins in Kolkata from March 22 with a match between defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The first qualifier and eliminator will be played in Hyderabad on May 20 and 21 respectively, while the second qualifier and final will be held in Kolkata on May 23 and 25 respectively.
A total of 74 matches will be played in 13 different cities of India over two months. You can check the full schedule here.
13 cities? Does this mean that some teams will have two home grounds?
Yes, like 2024, Delhi Capitals (DC)'s home ground is Delhi and Visakhapatnam, Punjab Kings (PBKS)'s Mullanpur and Dharamshala and Rajasthan Royals (RR)'s Jaipur and Guwahati. The remaining seven teams have only one home ground.
There is no change in the format
All the teams have to play 14 matches each in the league stage. In the end, the top four teams will qualify for the playoffs.
Match timing
The evening matches will start at 7.30 pm Indian time. There are also 12 double-header matches, which will start at 3.30 in the afternoon.
Is there anything new in IPL 2025?
Five new captains. Shreyas Iyer, who made defending champions KKR the champion, is now the captain of PBKS, while Ajinkya Rahane has now been made the captain of KKR. DC captain Rishabh Pant is now the captain of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), while DC has handed over its captaincy to Axar Patel. Rajat Patidar has been made the captain of RCB.
Apart from this, KL Rahul is now DC while Yuzvendra Chahal has now moved to PBKS, while R Ashwin has returned home to Chennai Super Kings (CSK), while Mohammad Siraj is now a part of Gujarat Titans (GT).
Pant and Iyer are now the captains of LSG and PBKS respectively
There been a big change in the support staff as well
Ricky Ponting is now the head coach of PBKS and not DC, while Rahul Dravid has returned to RR. Dwayne Bravo is now the mentor of KKR in place of Gautam Gambhir, while Matthew Wade will not be a player of GT this time but will be the assistant coach. Kevin Pietersen will be the mentor of Delhi Capitals.
Who is the most expensive player of this season?
Pant is the most expensive player of this season as well as the most expensive player in the history of this tournament, who was bought by LSG for 27 crores. After this comes Shreyas Iyer, who was bought by PBKS for 26.75 crores.
After this comes Heinrich Klaksen, who was retained by SRH for 23 crores.
How did CSK retain Dhoni for 4 crores?
Because IPL brought back its old rule, where if an Indian player has retired for more than five years, then he will be kept as an uncapped player. Dhoni played his last international match in the 2019 ODI World Cup, so he qualified for this rule. RR also retained Sandeep Sharma under the same rule.
Also Read: IPL 2025: Full List of Injured Players and Their Replacements
Is any big name not playing this time?
Jasprit Bumrah will not be a part of the first few matches due to injury, while the same is the case for Mayank Yadav, who is recovering from a back injury. Harry Brook has withdrawn his name from the IPL for the second consecutive year and may be banned. Mitchell Marsh will play but will not bowl.
Where can IPL 2025 be watched live?
Australia: Foxtel and Kayo Sports
England: Sky Sports
India: Star Sports and Jio Hotstar
New Zealand: Sky Sports
South Africa: SuperSport
UAE: Starz On
USA: Willow TV
Also Read: IPL 2025: When and Where to Buy CSK vs MI Tickets?
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