IPL final returns to Eden Gardens after 10-year absence

Kolkata’s Eden Gardens will host the final of cricket’s Indian Premier League on May 25, after the full schedule for the 2025 season was confirmed.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced yesterday (Sunday) that this year’s tournament will begin on March 22. It will mark the first time Kolkata has hosted the IPL final since 2015, having also staged the showpiece fixture in 2013.

A total of 13 venues will be used over the course of the 74-match season, with 12 double-headers to be staged. Afternoon games will begin at 3:30pm IST, with evening games to commence at 7:30pm IST.

Eden Gardens will also host the opening match of the tournament when the Kolkata Knight Riders, the defending IPL champions, take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The first of the double-headers will take place the following day as Sunrisers Hyderabad host Rajasthan Royals at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium.

Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, the world’s largest cricket stadium, will stage its first game on March 25 when Gujarat Titans host Punjab Kings.

Three of the 10 IPL teams will play at two venues each. Delhi Capitals will play at Visakhapatnam’s ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium and Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi; the Royals will play at Guwahati’s Barsapara Cricket Stadium and Jaipur’s Sawai Mansingh Stadium; and Punjab Kings will play at New PCA Stadium in Mullanpur and Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium.

The playoffs will be split between Hyderabad and Eden Gardens. The former will host the first qualifier and eliminator on May 20 and May 21, respectively, before the action shifts to Eden Gardens.

Eden Gardens will host the second qualifier on May 23, before the final takes place two days later.

Last year’s final took place at Chepauk Stadium in Chennai and attracted a crowd of 38,000. The 2022 and 2023 editions were held at Narendra Modi Stadium, attracting over 100,000 fans on each occasion.