The Indian Premier League (IPL) has unveiled the schedule for its next three seasons, an unprecedented move that offers clarity for teams and fans alike. IPL 2025 will kick off on March 14 and conclude on May 25, while the 2026 and 2027 seasons are set to run from March 15 to May 31 and March 14 to May 30, respectively.
An email to franchises referred to these as tentative "windows," though they are likely to be finalized. The 2025 season will feature 74 matches, maintaining the format of recent years. However, this is fewer than the 84 matches originally listed for 2025 and 2026 in the 2023-2027 media rights cycle, with the final year (2027) expected to include up to 94 games.
Overseas Player Availability
A significant boost for franchises comes with most Full Member nations granting their players full availability for the next three IPL seasons, except Pakistan, whose players have not participated since 2008.
Australia: Cricket Australia (CA) has approved full participation for its players in IPL 2025. In 2026, players involved in a Pakistan ODI series or resting post-T20 World Cup will join after March 18. For 2027, those participating in a one-off Test against England in March will join post-match.
England: The ECB has provided a list of 18 centrally contracted players, including Jofra Archer, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler, and Sam Curran, who will be fully available. Test captain Ben Stokes is notably absent, having opted out of the 2025 mega auction. Non-contracted players will also have full availability.
South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe: Players from these nations will be fully available for all three seasons.
Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka Cricket has assured full availability for 2025, with retained players also available in subsequent years.
Bangladesh: The BCB has provided a list of 13 players, including Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman, with varying availability across the three years.
This advance scheduling and clarity on player availability underline the IPL's growing importance in the global cricket calendar.
Updated on 22nd November, 2024 by MyFortune11 Team