On March 22, the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) 18th season got off to an exciting start, guaranteeing another year of exciting T20 cricket action. As the event draws to a close on May 25, the spectators have already witnessed some fierce competition, nail-biting finales, and some outstanding performances.
At the historic Eden Gardens, the season’s first game between the reigning champion Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). With a house full of spectators and a game full of drama and major moments, the meeting lived up to the expectations.
While RCB, vying for their first-ever title, was also eager to get off to a strong start,
KKR launched their campaign in full guns blazing mode, hoping to show their superiority right from the start of the tournament.
IPL powerhouses Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, both five-time title winners, squared up in what is often considered the “El Clasico” of the IPL, and the fireworks continued into the second day in Chennai. As these two titans reignited their historic rivalry at Chepauk, the fans were treated to an antiquated but fiercely fought match.
Why will the two teams only play each other once in the 2025 Indian Premier League?
Since the IPL grew to 10 clubs in 2022, the BCCI has not yet chosen to use a double round-robin format to guarantee that there are only 74 matches in the competition. One team plays five teams twice and four teams once, two at home and two away, under the current arrangement. The BCCI splits the 10 teams into two groups, and each team plays every other team twice. The other four teams in the opposing group are only ever played once by each franchise.
Among other significant days of the 2025 IPL, RCB and CSK will rekindle their ferocious rivalry on March 28 and May 3. On May 17, KKR and RCB will also play in the final league stage match. Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi Stadium will host the first qualifier and eliminator on May 20 and 21, while Kolkata will host the second qualifier and final on May 23 and 25, respectively.
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