The highly anticipated 18th season of the Indian Premier League is set to kick off in 2025 with the return of the mega auction for the first time since 2022. This marks the beginning of the next three-year cycle of cricket's biggest extravaganza. While the auction is scheduled for November 24th and 25th, all eyes are eagerly awaiting the start of the season.
In an unprecedented move, the BCCI has announced the schedule for the next three IPL seasons. The 2025 season will commence on March 14th, with the final match scheduled for May 25th. The IPL 2026 season will begin on March 15th and run until May 31st, followed by the 2027 season from March 14th to May 30th.
The upcoming IPL 2025 season will consist of 74 matches, the same number as the previous season in 2024. This is a decrease from the 84 matches initially planned by the BCCI in 2022 when the media rights for the IPL 2023-27 cycle were sold.
The media rights auction tender specified 74 matches for each of the IPL seasons in 2023 and 2024, followed by 84 matches in 2025 and 2026. The tender also outlined a total of 94 matches for the 2027 season.
Prior to the start of the IPL 2025 season, the mega auction will take place as the 10 teams aim to fill 206 available spots. A total of 574 players from various nations will be up for sale, with star players like Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Jos Buttler expected to spark bidding wars among the franchises.
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