Top 5 takeaways from IPL 2025 schedule announcement ft. Masterfully curated opening weekend 

The schedule for the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season was finally unveiled on Sunday, February 16. The upcoming edition will begin on March 22 with a clash between defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

The tournament comprises of 74 matches in total, including the three playoff matches and the final. This marks the start of a new cycle, as the franchises went through yet another overhaul after the 2024 season, through the mega auction in Jeddah.

There has been intense activity throughout the off season, with changes in captaincy, coaching staff, and plenty of other aspects too. All of these changes, in addition to the already existing foundation of hype, make the 2025 edition yet another highly anticipated affair.

On that note, let us take a look at the top five takeaways from the IPL 2025 schedule announcement.

#1 Masterfully curated opening weekend

The broadcasters and the stakeholders know the immeasurable value of getting the most out of the opening weekend of the competition, a phase where the hype will perhaps be at its highest. As a result, the opening match, along with the ones that follow are crucial in setting the foundation and triggering a tempo for the act that succeeds for two months.

Last edition, the organizers made the most of the backlash and the fallout amid Hardik Pandya's trade from the Gujarat Titans (GT) to the Mumbai Indians (MI) by pitting them against each other in the opening weekend itself.

This time around too, a similar effort has been made with the Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) facing each other in the fourth match of the season. Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul's exit from DC and LSG respectively, and their ensuing acquisitions in the mega auction were among the biggest talking points in the off season. Now they find themselves up against their former franchises right off the bat.

For the other matches in the opening weekend, IPL have managed to get the four most prolific sides (commercially) up against each other to set the ball rolling. It begins with the opening match itself between RCB and KKR, with the narrative of two new skippers defining their respective teams' new era.

The elephant in the room is the ever-famous face-off between the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Mumbai Indians (MI), scheduled on the second day of the tournament itself. Viewers have got used to the heavyweights playing each other right at the start, and the only reason it has been repeated, is because it works. Furthermore, this time around, fans will be treated to two MI vs CSK matches, as opposed to a single one in the 2024 edition.

#2 MI's start-stop schedule and CSK's home head start

There is no definable ideal schedule, or any rights or wrongs. However, the complex nature of the competition which includes 10 teams, a tight time frame, and other such factors lead to some patterns in the schedule, which can be favorable to some, and not so to others.

At the end of the day, all teams have to play the same number of matches in the league stage, whether it be home or away, so that levels the scale to a degree. However, there are some patterns in the cases of some franchises that are hard to ignore.

MI not only kick-start their season with back-to-back away games, but they only play back-to-back home games on one occasion, that too midway through. Teams often look forward to the string of home games, since it relieves them from travelling for a while, and also gives them an opportunity to stitch some momentum together.

On the other hand, CSK begin their campaign with a set of home matches, that too against their biggest set of rivals. In fact, four out of their first six matches are at home, giving them a brilliant opportunity to make an early push.

#3 13 venues for 10 teams - An imbalanced equation

Venue changes in IPL are not an occurrence out of the ordinary, but in the past, there used to be a certified reason behind it. CSK played their matches in Ranchi due to an issue with the stands at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, MI played a few matches in Vizag in the past due to a drought in Maharashtra. There are countless other examples, but since they are backed by compelling reasons, it has a defence.

However, the Punjab Kings (PBKS), Rajasthan Royals (RR), and the Delhi Capitals (DC) being assigned 'home' matches in Dharamshala, Guwahati, and Vizag is becoming a trend now, and not in a good way.

Guwahati's dew and inclement weather have done more harm than good for RR these years, and a similar negative standpoint holds for PBKS and Dharamshala too. Awarding home matches in alternate venues for select teams, without any ironclad reason makes the tournament a lopsided playing field. The responses at the venues have been excellent, with fans expectedly flocking in, but it impacts the campaign of the 'home' teams in question.

#4 SRH and RCB's mirroring schedules

RCB begin their tournament on a very tough note as they have to visit Kolkata and Chennai in their first two matches. However, their tricky away start is compensated with a valuable set of home matches at the end of the league stage, which could prove to be crucial.

In the 2024 edition, three of RCB's last four matches were at home. They won all three, which fuelled their comeback run, eventually guiding them into the playoffs.

SRH, on the other hand, begin their campaign with a day game against RR, much like in the 2023 edition. However, the 2024 runners-up have a strong home headstart as four of their first six matches are scheduled to be played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

The Orange Army, however, will have to play their last two matches in the league stage away from home. In the 2024 edition, SRH had the chance to play their last three matches in the league stage at home. They amassed five points in those games, helping them finish in the top two.

#5 First IPL final at the Eden Gardens in a decade

The Eden Gardens hosted two finals in the space of a couple of years back in 2013 and 2015, and had to wait for a decade for the next one. In the long gap, the iconic venue has played host to playoff matches in the 2018 and 2022 editions, but never the final.

In the 2025 edition, the Eden Gardens will host the opening match, Qualifier 2, and the final on the back of KKR's success in the 2024 edition.