IPL 2025 postponed; KKR and RCB to play opening match: Reports 

Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will play the opening clash of IPL 2025, according to a report by Cricbuzz. The 18th edition of the Indian Premier League was initially set to begin on March 14 with a match between the holders and the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH).

As per the report, the upcoming season of the IPL will get underway on March 22. Going by the norms, KKR will play the first game as they won IPL 2024. The home ground of the defending champions, Eden Gardens in Kolkata will host the IPL 2025 season opener.

They will host RCB, who announced Rajat Patidar their new captain for the upcoming season on Thursday, February 13. SRH, who lost the final last year and were the runners-up, will also play their first match of the 2025 season at home.

Hyderabad will take on the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on March 23 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal. The full schedule has not yet been officially announced by the BCCI but is expected to be out soon.

However, as per the report, the board has already shared the dates of important games with the franchises. Earlier, BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla had dropped a hint that the 2025 season will begin on March 23. The dates appear to have been revised by the board.

---

Kolkata to host IPL 2025 final on May 25

The report also added that the final of IPL 2025 will be held on May 25 and as per tradition, the home ground of the defending champions will host the summit clash.

Therefore, Eden Gardens in Kolkata will be the venue for the IPL 2025 final. Along with the last match, Kolkata will play host to Qualifier 2 while the first qualifier and the Eliminator will be played in Hyderabad.

The report also added that apart from the 10 regular venues, which include Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Mullanpur, Delhi, Jaipur, Hyderabad, and Kolkata, some matches of IPL 2025 will also be played in Guwahati and Dharamsala.

Guwahati will be the second venue for RR and will host their games on March 26 and 30. Meanwhile, the Punjab Kings will play a couple of their home matches in Dharamsala.

---