Knight Riders to face RCB in opening game of 2025 IPL
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening match of the 2025 Indian Premier League.
The group stage starts on 22 March and the final will take place at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on 25 May.
It will be the third time Eden Gardens has hosted the final but the first since 2015.
The 70-match group stage will run until 18 May with matches every day, including 12 double headers.
Qualifier 1 between the first and second-placed teams is in Hyderabad on 20 May before the eliminator between third and fourth the following day.
Qualifier 2, which decides who joins the winner of qualifier 1 in the final, is also at Eden Gardens on 23 May.
England's one-off Test against Zimbabwe is due to start on 22 May so the likes of Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell and Brydon Carse may be unavailable for the play-offs.
Teams have again been split into two pools of five. They play every side in their group twice, one side from the other pool twice and the other four teams once.
That means the IPL's two must successful side - Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians - will face each other twice in the group stage.
All results form one group table with the top four progressing to the play-offs.
Group 1: Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings, Punjab Kings.
Group 2: Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians, Lucknow Super Giants.
Teams face the side in the corresponding position twice in group stage - i.e KKR and SRH and RCB and DC.
