The 18th edition of the Indian Premier League is expected to begin on March 22, with defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders taking on arch-rivals Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the iconic Eden Gardens. On the following day, the 2024 runner’s up, Sunrisers Hyderabad, will be playing Rajasthan Royals on their home ground at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. It will be an afternoon game.
Leaving out the ten home stadiums, games will also be played in Guwahati and Dharamshala. According to a Cricbuzz report, Rajasthan Royals will be playing two of their matches in the North-East, which they have enlisted as their second home venue. The inaugural champions are expected to play there on March 26 and 30 against Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings.
On the other hand, Dharamsala will host Punjab Kings for three matches. The details of the games will however be known when BCCI announce the full schedule, which is expected to happen in the next couple of days. Meanwhile, Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator will be played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, while Qualifier 2 and the final will be played at Eden Gardens, as the defending champions host the summit clash as per tradition. As things stand, the final will be played on March 25.
In the meantime, RCB announced their new captain for the upcoming IPL 2025. Previously, a few reports claimed that Virat Kohli might be announced as the new captain but ultimately, Rajat Patidar was handed the baton. He has led Madhya Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and in Vijay Hazare and the team management was impressed with his leadership skills. The 31-year-old joined the franchise in 2021 and scored 799 runs at a strike rate of 158.84 in 27 matches.
As things stand, only Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders are yet to announce their captain for the next edition.
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