The IPL 2025 season kicks off on March 23rd, and this comes alongside with major decisions made at the latest BCCI meeting, including the appointment of a new treasurer and secretary, Devajit Saikia and Prabhtej Singh Bhatia were elected as the new BCCI secretary and treasurer respectively.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India vice-president Rajeev Shukla confirmed that the Indian Premier League is set to start on March 23rd. In a recent BCCI meeting, key decisions were made regarding the appointment of the new treasurer and secretary, with discussions focusing on the responsibilities ahead, and clarity regarding the Women’s Premier League (WPL) venue is nearly finalized.
Last year's IPL kicked off on March 22nd with a match between RCB and CSK, and the finale took place on May 26th, with KKR lifting the trophy. Interestingly, Rajeev Shukla had initially announced the start date as March 23rd.
In addition to the new season dates, the IPL has announced the appointment of a new commissioner for a one-year term, and the next BCCI meeting, scheduled for January 18-19, will focus on finalizing the squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy. With the IPL set to begin on March 23rd, the newly appointed BCCI secretary emphasised the busy schedule ahead, noting the back-to-back events that will demand significant attention and coordination.
A total of 182 players were sold for Rs 639.15 crore during the IPL 2025 mega auction, which was held over two days in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and most of the 10 teams focused on reinforcing their squads after retaining their core players. In the lead-up to the auction, teams had extensive discussions with the BCCI regarding several rules, and some teams expressed concerns about the mega auction, fearing the loss of players they had scouted and nurtured.
The auction was dominated by two marquee sets of players, who became the focal point after the final list of 574 players was revealed, and several teams made big bids for high-profile players, some of whom had previously had successful stints with their former franchises.
India's wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player in IPL history after being sold for Rs 27 crore, followed by Shreyas Iyer (Rs 26.75 crore), and Venkatesh Iyer (Rs 23.75 crore). However, players like David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, and Shardul Thakur went unsold, failing to attract any bids.
