IPL 2025 to begin on March 14; dates for next three seasons revealed

By Nagraj Gollapudi, Nov 22 (ESPNcricinfo): In an unprecedented move, the IPL has released the dates for the next three seasons. IPL 2025 will start on March 14 with the final on May 25. The 2026 season will be played between March 15 and May 31, while the 2027 season will be between March 14 and May 30.

In an email to franchisees on Thursday, accessed by ESPNcricinfo, the IPL termed the tournament dates as windows, but it is likely these might end up being the final dates. The 2025 season will comprise 74 matches, the same as the last three seasons. That number, though, is ten less than the 84 matches listed by IPL in 2022 when the media rights for the 2023-27 cycle were sold.

In the tender document for the new rights cycle, the IPL had listed a varying number of matches per season: ranging from 74 games each in 2023 and 2024, 84 matches each in 2025 and 2026, and a maximum of 94 games for the final year of the deal in 2027.

Overseas players signal full availability

In a major boost to franchises, overseas players from most Full Member countries have got a nod from their individual boards to play for the next three years in the IPL. This does not include Pakistan, whose players have not featured in IPL since the inaugural season in 2008 due to the political stalemate between the governments of both countries.

Following is the country-wise availability of overseas players for the next three IPL seasons between 2025 and 2027 as listed by IPL in the e-mail:

Australia: Cricket Australia (CA) has given clearance to all its players - both international and domestic - to feature in the 2025 season. In 2026, Australia will feature in a three-match ODI series in Pakistan which CA revealed will be "concluding no later than March 18". Australian players participating in that series as well as those resting after the T20 World Cup (scheduled in India and Sri Lanka in February-March 2026) will join the IPL after the Pakistan tour. In 2027, Australian players featuring in the one-off Test between Australia and England in March to commemorate 150 years of Test cricket, will join after the match.

England: The ECB has submitted a list of 18 centrally contracted players who will be fully available for the next three IPL seasons. One big name missing from this list includes England Test captain Ben Stokes, who did not enter the 2025 IPL mega auction. The list of players who will be fully available between 2025 and 2027 includes Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Olly Stone and Reece Topley.

The ECB has pointed out that a few of these players will be "out of contract" at some point during the 2025-27 period, but while they are contracted they will be available to play in the IPL. England's non-centrally contracted players will be fully available for the next three seasons.

South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe: Players from these countries will be fully available.

Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has said its players will be fully available for the 2025 season. Those retained ahead of 2026 and 2027 will be available again.

Bangladesh: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has sent 13 names with varying availability for each player across the three-year period. The list includes: Taskin Ahmed, Litton Kumar Das, Mahedi Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Towhid Hridoy, Shoriful Islam, Shohidul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Nahid Rana, Tanzim Hasan Sakib