BCCI to stick with 74 matches for the upcoming IPL season in lieu of protecting players from increased workloads.
BCCI announce that the 2025 IPL will have 74 matches. While the number is same as last year’s fixtures, it represents a decrease from the 84 matches that were listed way back in 2022.
The Indian Premier League had specified a variable number of matches per season in the tender document for the new rights cycle. 74 games in 2023–2024, 84 games in 2025–2026, and up to 94 games in the championship year.
In an effort to better assist Indian international players in managing their workload, the Indian Premier League has opted not to hold 84 matches in 2025. India is presently favoured to go to their third consecutive World Test Championship final, which is set to take place at Lord’s on June 11. Nonetheless, the BCCI wants to make sure that players get adequate rest in order to prepare for the possibility of qualification.
The IPL dates for the 2025 season aren’t finalised. But the window is likely to stretch between mid-March and last week of May.
“We have not taken a call on organising 84 matches in IPL 2025 since we also have to factor the load on the players due to the increase in matches,” Jay Shah, the outgoing BCCI secretary, told the Economic Times recently. “While it’s (84 matches) part of the contract, it’s up to the BCCI to decide whether to organise 74 or 84 matches.”
If there were 74 matches in the season (as there were in 2023 and 2024), then 18 matches were included in the premium package. The number of special package matches will increase by two for every ten extra matches in a season that has more than 74 matches. Thus, the number of matches in the special package will increase to 20 if a season consists of 84 games, and to 22 if a tournament consists of 94 games.