IPL 2025 to Start on March 21; 4 J&K Players Part of Separate Franchises Set to Feature in 18th Edition

New Delhi: The Indian Premier League 2025, eighteenth edition of the prestigious Cricket league, is set to start from March 21, confirmed the Board of Control for Cricket in India vice-president Rajeev Shukla. Shukla, as per a report, confirmed the date for the inaugural game as well as the final, which will take place on May 25.

The BCCI in a meeting today, as per the report, made key decisions were made regarding the appointment of the new treasurer and secretary, with discussions focusing on the responsibilities ahead. The clarity regarding the Women’s Premier League WPL venue is nearly finalised.

The IPL 2024 was kickstarted on March 22 when RCB and CSK faced each other and the finale took place on May 26 with KKR lifting the trophy. Earlier, Rajeev Shukla had mistakenly announced the date as March 23, which he later corrected to March 21st.

Additionally, the IPL has announced the appointment of a new commissioner for a one-year term. The next meeting, scheduled for January 18-19, will focus on finalising the squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy. With the IPL set to begin on March 23, the newly appointed BCCI secretary emphasised the busy schedule ahead, noting the back-to-back events that will demand significant attention and coordination.

A total of 182 players were sold for Rs 639.15 crore during the IPL 2025 mega auction, held over two days in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Most of the 10 teams focused on reinforcing their squads after retaining their core players. In the lead-up to the auction, teams had extensive discussions with the BCCI regarding several rules. Some teams expressed concerns about the mega auction, fearing the loss of players they had scouted and nurtured.

The auction was dominated by the two marquee sets of players, who became the focal point after the final list of 574 players was revealed. Several teams made big bids for high-profile players, some of whom had previously had successful stints with their former franchises, though a few had acrimonious break-ups.

India’s wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player in IPL history after being sold for Rs 27 crore, followed by Shreyas Iyer (Rs 26.75 corer), and Venkatesh Iyer (Rs 23.75 crore). Meanwhile, players like David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, and Shardul Thakur went unsold, failing to attract any bids.

In the meantime, four players from Jammu and Kashmir are set to feature in the upcoming edition. While Rasikh Salam picked by RCB for whopping six crore rupees, Abdul Samad was bagged by Lucknow Super Giants for four crore twenty lakh. The other two players vying to leave a mark in the cash-rich league include; Umran Malik and Yudhvir Singh, who were picked up by Kolkatta Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals at a price of seventy-five and thirty-five lakhs respectively.