India’s cricket fans can gear up for an action-packed season as BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla has officially announced the start dates for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 and the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025. After the General Body meeting on Sunday, Shukla confirmed that WPL 2025 will commence on February 7, with the final scheduled for March 2, while IPL 2025 is set to begin on March 23, culminating in its final on May 25.

This announcement adjusts the initial IPL start date, previously speculated to be March 14, allowing players additional recovery time after the ICC Champions Trophy final on March 9.

WPL 2025: Venues and highlights

WPL 2025 will feature matches across four key cities: Baroda, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Lucknow. This setup ensures that four of the five participating teams will enjoy home support during the season. The exception will be the Delhi Capitals, the two-time finalists, who will play all their games at away venues. Details on the exact number of matches at each venue are expected soon.

IPL 2025: Match format remains unchanged

Contrary to earlier reports suggesting an expansion to 84 matches in 2025, the IPL format for the upcoming season will maintain the 74-match structure seen in 2023 and 2024. The BCCI appears to be prioritizing players’ workload, delaying any expansion until at least 2026. The format will feature the same group-stage and playoff system that has been a staple of recent seasons.

What’s next for IPL and WPL 2025 schedules?

The BCCI is scheduled to hold another General Body meeting on January 18, where the full schedule for IPL 2025 and WPL 2025 could be finalized. Fans can look forward to the announcement by the end of January, setting the stage for two months of thrilling cricket action across India.

Stay tuned as the cricketing calendar for 2025 shapes up, promising unforgettable moments for fans of the IPL and WPL alike.

Young Indian women’s cricket team opener Pratika Rawal made an impressive contribution with a solid 67 runs off 61 balls during the second ODI against Ireland at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on Sunday. Rawal, who had already scored a match-winning 89 in the first ODI, continued her excellent form in this match.

Teaming up with Smriti Mandhana, who scored 73, Rawal established a strong 156-run opening partnership, laying a solid foundation for the innings. Throughout her innings, Rawal displayed remarkable maturity beyond her years. Tejal Hasabnis also made a notable return, scoring a fifty, as India comfortably defeated the inexperienced Ireland team by six wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match women’s ODI series on Friday.

In the first ODI, Rawal was instrumental in anchoring the chase for 239 runs, following a brisk 41 from stand-in skipper Smriti Mandhana, who made a career-best 89 off 96 balls, hitting 10 fours and one six. Hasabnis, who had not played ODI cricket since October 2024 against New Zealand, marked her comeback with an innings of 53 not out off 46 balls, striking nine boundaries.

Rawal and Hasabnis formed a match-winning partnership of 116 runs off 84 balls, leading India to victory with 93 balls remaining. Continuing her dominant form from the West Indies series, Mandhana scored a rapid 41 runs off just 29 balls, marked by six fours and a six, and, in doing so, became the second Indian and the 15th overall player to surpass 4,000 runs in ODIs.

Mandhana’s aggressive stroke play unsettled the Irish bowlers, especially in the eighth over against seamer Dempsey, where she struck a boundary, a six, and another four in quick succession. Rawal, who made her debut during the West Indies series, provided excellent support, and the pair successfully shared their third fifty-plus opening partnership in four matches.

Ireland managed to break through at the end of the powerplay when Mandhana mistimed a shot and was caught, falling just nine runs short of her half-century. Despite Harleen Deol (20) and Jemimah Rodrigues (9) looking promising early on, clever bowling by left-arm spinner Aimee Maguire (3/57 from 8 overs) temporarily halted India’s progress. Maguire successfully stumped Rodrigues, who was well out of her crease after stepping out excessively.

During this phase, India lost three wickets for just 46 runs. However, thanks to Mandhana’s explosive start, the team remained well on track. Ireland’s lack of experience was evident as they allowed 21 runs through extras, with Laura Delany particularly struggling in the bowling department, bowling two no-balls and delivering waist-high full tosses, which Hasabnis capitalized on with back-to-back boundaries.

Earlier, India’s fielding let Ireland off the hook as they dropped several catches, allowing visiting captain Gaby Lewis to score a classy 92 runs and lift her team to a competitive total of 238 for 7. Opting to bat first, Ireland faced early trouble at 56 for 4 by the 14th over. However, Lewis and Leah Paul (59 off 73 balls) mounted a recovery, adding 117 runs for the fifth wicket, marking the team’s first-ever century partnership against India.

Lewis’s innings came off 129 balls, featuring 15 boundaries, while the duo of Lewis and Paul navigated through the innings with calculated precision. India’s first breakthrough came from medium pacer Titas Sadhu, who took the wicket of Sarah Forbes (9) after a misplayed shot edged to slip where Deepti Sharma made the catch.

In their first trip to India, Ireland stumbled to 34 for 2 after a disastrous mix-up led to the run out of Una Raymond-Hoey (5), who attempted a single after hitting the ball directly to Jemimah Rodrigues in cover. Orla Prendergast (9) soon followed her back to the pavilion, stumped by Ghosh off the bowling of leg-spinner Priya Mishra (2/56), leaving Ireland in a precarious position at 56 for 3 by the 14th over.

Former Assam cricketer Devajit Saikia has been appointed as the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), succeeding Jay Shah, whose departure left the position unfilled for more than a month following his elevation to chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Saikia’s first official duty in his new position was to attend a meeting with BCCI president Roger Binny, where they discussed India’s recent performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. Reports indicate that Indian team captain Rohit Sharma and coach Gautam Gambhir were also in attendance.

According to reports, the meeting involved an in-depth analysis of the Indian team’s performance during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, addressing what went wrong and identifying necessary corrective actions. However, it was noted that there would not be any hasty decisions by the new BCCI leadership, especially with the Champions Trophy 2025 approaching in just a few weeks.

Hailing from Assam, Saikia brings a rich blend of experience in cricket, law, and administration to his new role. He played as a first-class cricketer from 1990 to 1991, participating in four matches as a wicketkeeper, scoring 53 runs, and making nine dismissals.

After his time in the field, Saikia pursued a legal career, beginning as a lawyer at the Gauhati High Court at the age of 28. Prior to his legal practice, he held positions in the Northern Frontier Railways and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) under sports quota provisions.

Saikia ventured into cricket administration in 2016, becoming one of six vice presidents of the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) during the presidency of Hemanta Biswa Sarma, who is now the Chief Minister of Assam. He later held the position of ACA secretary from 2019 before being elected as BCCI joint secretary in 2022.

At 55, Saikia reflects on his entry into cricket administration, asserting that he never intended to take on an administrative role but felt “compelled” to do so after witnessing corruption within Assam’s cricket administration. In a past interaction with broadcasters, he remarked, “It was never my intention to be a cricket or sports administrator. Even today, I don’t like being an administrator.”