Sun Feb 16 13:26:00 UTC 2025: ## IPL 2025: Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore to Kick Off Season

**Kolkata, India** – The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season will commence on March 22nd with a clash between defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore, the league announced today. The season opener will be followed by a “Super Sunday” on March 23rd featuring Sunrisers Hyderabad versus Rajasthan Royals, and a highly anticipated match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai.

The tournament, culminating in a final on May 25th in Kolkata, will see a number of key matchups throughout its duration. This includes a reverse fixture between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on April 20th. Other notable opening fixtures include Delhi Capitals versus Lucknow Super Giants in Visakhapatnam on March 24th and Gujarat Titans versus Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad on March 25th.

Kolkata will also host Qualifier 2 on May 23rd, while Hyderabad will host Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator on May 20th and 21st respectively. Several venues will host matches, including Visakhapatnam and Guwahati, which will each host two home matches for Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals respectively. Punjab Kings will play three home games in Dharamsala.

The announcement also revealed some key captaincy changes. Rajat Patidar has been appointed captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore, while Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant will lead Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants respectively. The captains for Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals are yet to be announced. The full schedule is available online.

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