BCCI discloses IPL dates for the next three seasons
The forthcoming edition of the Indian Premier League will begin on March 14. As per the tentative schedule, the Champions Trophy will end on March 9 and soon after that, the cash-rich tournament is expected to begin in India. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is preparing to start the game early to give room for the players to prepare for the World Test Championship, which will take place in June 2025.
As per reports, the final of IPL 2025 will take place on May 25. It will allow the players to rest before the WTC final takes place. Meanwhile, before the start of the IPL 2022, BCCI officials announced an increase in the number of matches from 2025, but that won’t be happening. The season will comprise 74 matches, unlike 84 which was originally planned.
Meanwhile, the dates of IPL 2026 and 2027 editions have also been revealed. The marquee tournament will take place from March 15 to May 31 in the 2026 edition, while the 20th edition will begin on March 14 and will continue till May 30. BCCI has already mailed the schedule to different cricketing boards, requesting them for the availability of all the players.
Cricket Australia (CA) has given clearance to all its players for the 2025 edition of the tournament but in 2026, their three-match ODI series against Pakistan will collide with the early part of the IPL. However, the association confirmed that the series will conclude by March 18. In 2027, England and Australia will compete to commemorate 150 years of Test cricket and the players will join after that one-off affair.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has submitted a list of 18 centrally contracted players who will be fully available for the next three IPL seasons. However, Test captain Ben Stokes isn’t part of that list. The all-rounder also didn’t register for the upcoming IPL mega-auction, slated to take place on November 24 and 25 in Jeddah.
The players from South Africa, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan will be fully available. At the same time, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has sent 13 names with varying availability for the next three seasons.
