The 18th edition of the Indian Premier League is set to commence on March 22, featuring an opening match between the reigning champions, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Eden Gardens. The eagerly anticipated schedule for the IPL 2025 season was revealed on Sunday. The ten participating franchises have been organized into two groups. Group 1 includes KKR, RCB, Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings, and Punjab Kings.

Conversely, Group 2 consists of SunRisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians, and Lucknow Super Giants.

The rivalry between Mumbai Indians and RCB stands out as one of the most followed matchups in the history of the IPL. However, these two teams will face each other only once during the 18th edition, with their encounter scheduled for April 7, 2025, at Wankhede Stadium.

You may wonder why these teams will meet only once in IPL 2025, especially given the previous format where franchises played each other in a home-and-away setup. The explanation lies in the BCCI's decision to maintain a total of 74 matches in this lucrative league. Consequently, since the league expanded to ten teams in 2022, the governing body has chosen not to have all teams compete against one another twice during the group stage.

Under the current format, each team plays five teams twice and the remaining four teams only once (two matches at home and two away). The ten teams are divided into two groups, with teams within the same group facing each other twice, while they encounter the four teams from the opposing group just once.

As Mumbai Indians and RCB are placed in different groups, they will only meet once during the league stage of IPL 2025.

All you need to know about IPL 2025

The IPL 2025 final is scheduled to take place at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on May 25. Qualifier 2 will also be held at this venue on May 23, while Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator will occur at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on May 20 and 21, respectively.

Throughout the season, a total of 74 matches will be contested across 13 venues, featuring 12 double-header days. Afternoon matches will commence at 3:30 PM IST, followed by evening matches at 7:30 PM IST.

The inaugural double-header day is set for March 23, 2025, when Sunrisers Hyderabad will face the Rajasthan Royals in an afternoon match in Hyderabad. This will be succeeded by an exciting evening encounter between the two five-time IPL champions, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

On March 24, 2025, the Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants will play their first match of the season against each other in Visakhapatnam. The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, recognized as the largest cricket stadium in the world, will host its first match of the season on March 25, 2025, featuring the Gujarat Titans against the Punjab Kings.

Among the ten IPL teams, three will play at two venues each. The Delhi Capitals will conduct their home matches in Visakhapatnam and at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The Rajasthan Royals will host two of their home games in Guwahati, facing KKR and CSK, while the remainder will be played at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

The Punjab Kings will play four home matches at the New PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh, while the scenic Dharamsala will accommodate three of their home games against LSG, DC, and MI at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium.

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