Cricket fans from all over Australia are eagerly awaiting the start of another magical edition of the IPL on Indian soil. While we would never go around bashing the Big Bash we all know and love, the Aussie T20 comp does play second fiddle to the Indian Premier League. The IPL first launched back in 2008, and its unbelievable success led to numerous other cricket leagues spawning all over the planet. Despite the global growth in T20 events, the IPL remains the biggest and most prestigious T20 franchise competition in the world.
Australians have played an integral part in the IPL since that first inaugural tournament 17 years ago. Despite not being bought at the latest IPL auction in November, David Warner will always be regarded as one of the greatest IPL players and currently resides fourth in the list of IPL career runs. Another Aussie founding father of the Indian T20 competition was Shane Watson, who smashed four centuries during his lengthy time in the IPL.
2024 proved to be another momentous season for Aussie players in the IPL. As well as Mitchell Starc being named Player of the Match in the Final, Jake Fraser-McGurk (Striker of the Season) and Travis Head (Most Fours) also received end-of-season awards for their outstanding displays during the latest IPL campaign. All three players return to the fray once again in 2025. There are also Australian influences amongst the coaching crew. While Justin Langer resumes his position as Lucknow’s head honcho, Ricky Ponting has moved from Delhi to Punjab.
Unsurprisingly, IPL is one of the most-watched overseas sports in Australia, with every game from each season shown live and streamed across the country as part of a top-drawer cricket feast. Let GOAL bring you all the vital information you need for IPL 2025, including what the upcoming schedule looks like and how you can watch or stream every single match.
When is the IPL 2025?
Getty Images The IPL 2025 season gets underway on Sunday, March 23 (1 am AEDT). There will be a total of 70 league matches played and then four subsequent playoff games. The culmination of the playoff phase will be the Final, which takes place on Sunday, May 25.
How to watch IPL 2025
You'll be able to watch all IPL 2025 matches on Fox Cricket channels on TV. If you don't have Fox and don't wish to subscribe, sports streaming specialist Kayo Sports will also show this year's tournament. The Foxtel Sports bundle costs $69 per month on a 12-month plan, or $103 per month without a lock-in contract. For those looking to subscribe to Kayo Sports, two flexible options are available. These will be known as Kayo Standard and Kayo Premium from March 4 and cost $25 and $40 respectively.
What is the IPL 2025 format?
Getty Images Although there’s only one IPL league table, the teams are split into two groups for scheduling purposes. During the league phase of the competition, each team will play twice against the teams in their own group, one team in the other group, and once against the remaining four teams in the other group.
After the league stage, which consists of 70 matches in total, the top four teams, based on aggregate points, will qualify for the playoffs. At this stage, the top two teams compete with each other (‘Qualifier 1’), as do the remaining two teams (‘Eliminator’). The winner of ‘Qualifier 1’ heads straight to the Final, while the losing team will compete against the winning team of the ‘Eliminator’ (‘Qualifier 2’). The winner of ‘Qualifier 2’ goes to the Final.
Upcoming IPL 2025 schedule
Date | Fixture | Start Time (AEST) |
|---|---|---|
May 8th | Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals | 1 am |
May 9th | Lucknow Super Giants vs Royal Challengers Bangalore | 1 am |
May 10th | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders | 1 am |
May 11th | Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians | 9 pm |
May 11th | Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Titans | 1 am |
May 12th | Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals | 1 am |
May 13th | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | 1 am |
May 14th | Gujarat Titans vs Lucknow Super Giants | 1 am |
May 15th | Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals | 1 am |
May 16th | Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Super Kings | 1 am |
May 17th | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders | 1 am |
May 18th | Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings | 1 am |
May 18th | Lucknow Super Giants vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | 1 am |
May 20th | Play Off 1 | 1 am |
May 21st | Play Off 1 | 1 am |
May 23rd | Play Off 1 | 1 am |
May 25th | Final | 1 am |