For the first time in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the dates for the next three editions have been announced. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) revealed the timelines of the 2025, 2026 and 2027 seasons of the IPL and they were officially communicated to the 10 franchises on Friday (November 22).
The IPL 2025 is set to start on the 14th of March and the final will be played on the 25th of May. Meanwhile, the following two editions will also start in mid-March and will run until the end of May. The 2026 season will kick off on the 15th of March and the final is scheduled for the 31st of May. The following year will see the IPL run from the 14th of March to the 30th of May.
This is an unprecedented move from the BCCI and IPL governing council. There have been multiple seasons where the dates have not been disclosed till the last minute. Hence, the clarity of the schedule will help teams going forward.
Most Overseas Players to be available for full IPL seasons
Moreover, according to ESPNCricinfo, overseas players from most Full Member nations will be available for the next three editions of the IPL.
The Australian players have got the green signal from Cricket Australia (CA) to feature in the entire IPL 2025. Australia are scheduled to tour Pakistan for three ODIs in March 2026 and hence, the players will be available post the completion of the 50-over series. In 2027, Australia are set to face England in a one-off Test match at the iconic MCG to celebrate 150 years of Test cricket in March. The Aussie players will join the IPL after the one-off fixture.
The England Cricket Board (ECB) have given the clearance to their centrally contracted players to feature in the IPL for the next three seasons. Test captain Ben Stokes is the only big name missing from the auctions for the 2025 edition and that means that he will not be able to participate in the 2026 season either. The non-contracted players are available to take part fully for the next three years.
Players from New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe will be available for the entirety of the IPL over the next three years. The confirmation from the respective cricket boards has been received. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) have confirmed that their players will be available for the entire IPL 2025 and the retained players will also feature fully in the following two seasons. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have shared the names of 13 cricketers with variable availability for the next three editions.
