IPL 2025: A new era begins as generation next takes over Indian cricket

Dubai: Season 18 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to begin on Saturday, ushering in a new era in Indian cricket. With franchises opting for young captains — except for defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders — the world’s richest T20 league will be a battleground for emerging stars eager to make their mark. Over the next 65 days, cricket fans will be treated to non-stop entertainment across 13 cities, culminating in the crowning of a new champion.

The season kicks off with Kolkata Knight Riders taking on Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens. With 74 matches scheduled, the competition will be fierce, particularly for teams still chasing their first title — Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals, and Lucknow Super Giants. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, the two most dominant franchises with five titles each, will be eager to reclaim their throne after a disappointing last season. Mumbai, in particular, will look to rebound after finishing at the bottom of the table, with their last title win dating back to 2020.

The wealth of Indian talent makes this IPL especially intriguing. Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, and Yashasvi Jaiswal are all poised to step into the shoes of legends like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. With both senior players having retired from T20 internationals, the next generation has already shown a ruthless streak and will be keen to push their case in all formats of the game.

All eyes will be on Gill, who is being groomed for a bigger role in Indian cricket. The young opener has already shown his temperament as vice-captain during the Champions Trophy and will look to carry that form into the IPL.

“I have had more experience captaining Gujarat [Titans] than the Indian cricket team. Last year was my first year as captain, so there were a lot of things I could learn from. The challenging thing is you learn new things about a player or even about yourself. There were things I needed to work on if I want to be a good captain,” Gill said.

Gill had a breakthrough IPL in 2023, scoring 890 runs with three centuries and four fifties to win the Orange Cap. Last season, he started strong with 255 runs in six matches at a strike rate of over 151 but lost momentum later, finishing with 426 runs, a century, and two fifties. This time, he aims to balance his batting and captaincy responsibilities.

“I have played under various captains, and each captain has a different quality, and there are some qualities that resonate with you as a person, and those are the kind of qualities that you tend to take forward, and that is what I will try to do,” he added.

Rishabh Pant, who became the most expensive player in IPL history when he joined Lucknow Super Giants for Rs270 million, and Shreyas Iyer, who moved to Punjab Kings for Rs267.5 million, will be key figures in their teams’ quest for a maiden title.

Meanwhile, Kohli — who won the Orange Cap last season — will be eager to extend his dominance in the IPL. As the league’s highest scorer, he will hope that the No 18, his jersey number, proves lucky as he chases his first IPL trophy with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Rohit Sharma, fresh off a match-winning knock in the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand, will be keen to continue his aggressive brand of cricket. Mumbai Indians will rely on him to deliver the perfect start, especially with new skipper Hardik Pandya missing the opening game due to a one-match suspension for slow over rates last season. However, newer regulations this year mean captains will now face fines instead of suspensions.

Mumbai Indians have the presence of four Indian skippers in Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah apart from Hardik, on the field. Hardik knows he’ll always have multiple brains to pick from and multiple shoulders to lean on through a game.

“I am lucky that I have three captains playing with me. It adds more and more experience for me. I know when I require help, there are three different minds who have led India in different formats and with so many years of experience who are always there to put their arm around my shoulder and be there for me,” he said.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the oldest player in the league at 43, will share the field with 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who made history by earning an IPL contract (Rs11 million) with Rajasthan Royals.

Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings will once again rely on their spinners. Varun Chakravarthy’s red-hot form is a major boost for KKR, while the return of Ravichandran Ashwin to Chennai strengthens their home advantage. Fans at Chepauk will be waiting for Dhoni’s arrival, ready with their whistles. The five-time champions narrowly missed the playoffs last year on net run rate and will be eager to go a step further this time.

The ten teams have been divided into two virtual groups

Group A: Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings.

Group B: Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Titans, Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants

Each team will play the other teams in their group twice. They will also play one team from the other group twice — that’s determined by seeding — and the other four teams once. Eventually, every team will have played 14 matches, seven at home and seven away. After that, the top four teams will qualify for the playoffs.

All evening games will start at 6pm UAE. The afternoon games — there are 12 double-headers — will begin at 2pm UAE.

Rishabh Pant, Lucknow Super Giants, Rs270 million

Shreyas Iyer, Punjab Kings, Rs267.5 million

Venkatesh Iyer, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rs237.5 million

Heinrich Klaasen, Sunrisers Hyderabad (retained), Rs230 million

Yuzvendra Chahal, Punjab Kings Rs180 million

The BCCI has allowed the use of saliva, which was banned by ICC during Covid 19 pandemic, is allowed to shine the ball in IPL this season.

The BCCI also approved the use of the Decision Review System (DRS) for height-related wides and wides outside the off-stump.

Captains will no longer be banned for slow overrate penalty. Instead, they will be slapped with a fine.

Teams will be able to change one ball, after the 11th over of the second innings due to dew.

The Impact Substitute rule will continue to stay till 2027.