Sun Jan 12 12:20:00 UTC 2025: ## IPL 2025 to Begin in Kolkata, WPL Expands to Four Venues

**Kolkata, India** – The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the opening and closing dates for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 and the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024-25 season.

The IPL 2025 season, the 18th edition of the tournament, will commence on March 21st, 2025, in Kolkata, with the final match also scheduled for Kolkata on May 25th. This follows the tradition of the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders, hosting the opening and final matches. The full schedule is expected to be released at the end of January. The tournament’s start date was pushed back a week from the initially planned March 15th start to accommodate the ICC Champions Trophy, which concludes on March 9th.

The upcoming WPL season will be held across four venues—Mumbai, Bengaluru, Vadodara, and Lucknow—an expansion from the previous two. The tournament will run from February 7th to March 2nd, featuring 22 matches across five teams.

The BCCI informed all franchises of the dates to allow them to begin player preparations. The 2025 IPL season will comprise 74 matches, fewer than the initially proposed 84 due to player workload management considerations. The mega auction for IPL 2025 saw 182 players sold for a total of ₹639.15 crore.

Despite the later start date for the IPL, players participating in the Champions Trophy will still have ample time to rest before the start of the IPL, even if Team India reaches the final.

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