IPL 2025: Date, times, key players, tv and streaming links and more

The IPL (or Indian Premier League) gets bigger and better each year, and cricket enthusiasts all over the globe are counting down the days until the 2025 edition, the 18th in total, gets going on Saturday, March 22, with the defending IPL kings, the Kolkata Knight Riders, hosting the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens.

The IPL has come a long way since it was first launched in 2008. Its unbelievable success led to numerous other cricket leagues sprouting all over the planet. Despite the global growth in T20 events, the IPL remains the biggest and most prestigious T20 franchise competition in the world, with a brand value of $12 billion. Amazingly, over 3 million people attended last year's tournament, which meant that on average, there was a crowd of over 40,000 at each of the 74 games.

Let GOAL show you all the vital information you need for the IPL 2025 season, including where and when upcoming matches are taking place and how you can watch all the action live.

When does the IPL 2025 season start?

The IPL 2025 season gets underway on Saturday, March 22. There will be 70 league matches played and then four subsequent playoff games. The playoff phase's culmination will be the Final, which takes place on Sunday, May 25.

What is the IPL 2025 format?

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Although there’s only one IPL league table, the 10 participating teams are split into two groups* for scheduling purposes. Each team play twice, home and away, against other teams in the group and one team in the other group, along with one match each against the remaining four teams from the opposite group. That means every team plays 14 games each during the group stage.

After the league stage, which consists of 70 matches in total, the top four teams, based on aggregate points, will qualify for the playoffs. At this stage, the top two teams compete with each other (‘Qualifier 1’), as do the remaining two teams (‘Eliminator’). The winner of ‘Qualifier 1’ heads straight to the Final, while the losing team will compete against the winning team of the ‘Eliminator’ (‘Qualifier 2’). The winner of ‘Qualifier 2’ goes to the Final.

* Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings are in Group 1. Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants are in Group 2.

Where are the IPL 2025 matches taking place?

IPL matches are held all over India, in the home cities of the participating teams. However, some teams may choose to split their home games between two or more cities. 13 grounds or venues will feature during the 2025 edition of the competition. The largest stadium used during the IPL is the Narendra Modi Stadium, Gujarat's home ground. It has a capacity of 132,000, making it the world’s biggest cricket stadium.

Who are the key players in the IPL 2025?

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The biggest names in the world of cricket will once again be plying their trade on Indian soil during the course of the IPL. Ahead of the 2025 season, the Mega Auction was held on November 24 & 25 last year, during which the record for the most expensive player was broken twice. First, last year's winning Kolkata captain, Shreyas Iyer, was sold to Punjab for ₹26.75 crore (US$3.1 million), before Rishabh Pant was bought by Lucknow for ₹27 crore (US$3.1 million). Another ‘Marquee’ player, England’s Jos Buttler, fetched the highest price for an overseas player, ₹15 crore (US$1.8 million).

Several Indian legends, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli, may have retired from playing international T20 cricket for their country, but all three will continue to light up the IPL this season. This is a further plus for organisers as all those players are highly respected and revered by the Indian public and are guaranteed to draw crowds.

One of the headline-grabbing signings for the new season was that of 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Suryavanshi, who scored a 58-ball century for India Under-19s in a youth Test match last year, was the subject of a bidding feud between Rajasthan and Delhi. Rahul Dravid's Royals would eventually come out on top in the tug of war.

Upcoming IPL 2025 schedule

How to watch the IPL 2025 in the UK

Sky Sports will once again broadcast comprehensive coverage of the Indian Premier League, with all 74 IPL 2025 matches shown live. You can also stream all the action on NOW and the Sky Sports app.

NOW is an instant streaming service offering access to all Sky Sports channels, every Sky Sports+ stream, and much more. It's an app, so customers can sign up and stream instantly across over 60 devices. NOW Sports Memberships also give customers access to all live Sky Sports+ streams as well as Sky Sports documentaries and selected replays and highlights on demand within your membership period. The various membership packages are as follows:

The various membership packages are as follows:

• 6-Month Saver Membership - (£26 a month, 6-month minimum term)
• Day Membership - (£14.99, one-off payment). Your NOW Sports Day Membership starts immediately after purchase and lasts for 24 hours.
• Flexible Month Membership - (£29.99 a month, for 6 months). You can cancel anytime.

How to watch the IPL 2025 in the US & Canada

Willow TV is a dedicated cricket broadcaster, and it’s the exclusive home of the IPL 2025 in the U.S. Here, you’ll find live and recorded match streaming, making it possible for fans to follow the action as it happens. Additionally, the platform provides detailed match analysis, commentary, and highlights, enriching the viewing experience.

One of the best streaming services that will let you watch all the matches from the IPL 2025 tournament is Fubo. Fubo includes Willow TV as part of their Pro International Sports Plus package. The service costs $101.99. Fubo’s massive streaming plans carry up to 200+ channels, and you can get even more depending on your location. For avid sports fans, Fubo is the ultimate choice as it also provides access to other popular sports, including NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL & MLS. International soccer fans can also enjoy some of the world’s best leagues, such as the Premier League and La Liga. Most Fubo plans allow you to stream on up to 10 devices simultaneously.

Last month, Fubo launched its affordable new South Asian base plan - Zee Family! With this plan, Fubo continues to make it easier than ever for South Asian families to enjoy their favorite entertainment and stay connected to the sports they love - perfect timing to get your fix of the Indian Premier League.

Fubo Zee Family Plan (US)

• Introductory Annual Pricing: $119.88/yea (Get 2 months free!)
• Includes 18 South Asian entertainment channels across Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Punjabi, Marathi, Malayalam, Bengali, and Kannada.
• WillowTV is also included via the International Sports Plus add-on, along with 5 other sports channels.
• Annual plan priced lower than YTTV’s South Asian plan: $9.99/mo effective monthly rate
• Monthly plan available at $11.98/mo
• Quarterly Plan available at $9.33/mo (Get 15% off for 3 months)

Fubo Cricket Plan (Canada)

• $44.97 quarterly ($14.99/mo), $149.99 Annual ($12.50/mo)
• WillowTV content & linear stream will be the same across the U.S. & Canada

IPL 2025 coverage worldwide

Watch the IPL 2025 from anywhere with a VPN

If you are unable to watch IPL matches live in your area or if you're travelling, you can use a VPN to tune into the action from wherever you are. A VPN creates a secure connection to bypass geographical restrictions and access your favourite streaming services from anywhere.

We highly recommend using NordVPN, but you can also check out our detailed VPN guide for other options.