The much-anticipated Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 will officially commence on March 23, as confirmed by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Vice-President Rajeev Shukla. Shukla made the announcement following a media interaction on Sunday after BCCI's general meeting, marking the start of another exciting season of the IPL.
In addition to confirming the IPL's start date, Shukla also shared several key developments from the BCCI's January 12 meeting. Notably, Devajit Saikia was appointed as the new BCCI Secretary, taking over from Jay Shah, while Prabhtej Singh Bhatia was elected as the new BCCI Treasurer.
Furthermore, Shukla revealed that the meeting to announce India’s squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy will take place between January 18-19. He also mentioned that the venues for the 2025 Women’s Premier League (WPL) will be announced shortly.
The BCCI meeting also touched upon India's recent performances in international cricket. On the heels of India's disappointing 1-3 defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, followed by a 0-3 loss to New Zealand at home, there was a detailed review of the team's performance. Indian captain Rohit Sharma and former cricketer Gautam Gambhir participated in this review session. According to sources, the BCCI discussed the issues faced during the series and emphasized the need for course correction, though no immediate decisions were made.
In terms of player acquisitions, the IPL 2025 mega auction, held in November last year in Jeddah, saw a frenzy of bidding, with 182 players sold for a total of ₹639.15 crore. Rishabh Pant emerged as the most expensive player in IPL history, fetching a record ₹27 crore. Other top buys included Shreyas Iyer (₹26.75 crore) and Venkatesh Iyer (₹23.75 crore). However, some high-profile players, including David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, and Shardul Thakur, went unsold.
With the IPL 2025 season drawing closer, cricket fans are eagerly awaiting the start of what promises to be another action-packed edition of the league.
