IPL 2025 Overhauls Home Venues for Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings
The IPL 2025 season is giving fans something fresh to look forward to—a bold twist in the way teams host their home matches. This time, the Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings will split their home games between two different cities each. Delhi fans will get to witness their team's action both at the iconic Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi and the picturesque Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. Punjab Kings are shuffling between Chandigarh and Mohali, keeping both strongholds in play.
This move isn't just about variety for the sake of variety. The IPL's top brass wants to spread the cricket frenzy wider—drawing new crowds into stadiums and strengthening ties in regions where the league hasn’t dominated before. For Delhi and Punjab, it’s a shot at energizing two fan bases at once and maybe even discovering a new favorite home away from home. There’s also buzz about a third team following this two-venue model, but the organizers are keeping the details under wraps for now.
All Eyes on the Schedule: Key Matches, Venues, and Format Tweaks
The season opens on March 22, 2025, with heavyweights Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru squaring off under the Eden Gardens’ floodlights. The league stage packs in a total of 74 matches, keeping to the trusty 10-franchise, two-group configuration. Teams go head-to-head twice with others in their own group and face every team in the other group just once, making each contest matter for playoff spots.
Fans should circle a few red-letter days. That includes the Mumbai Indians versus Chennai Super Kings blockbuster scheduled for April 5—a regular fixture that always brings fireworks no matter where you’re watching from. Weekend double-headers will be a regular feature again, designed to pack stadiums and maximize TV time when fans have their nights free.
Playoffs land in Hyderabad, starting with Qualifier 1 on May 20 and the Eliminator right after. The drama reaches a head at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, which will host the grand final on May 25. Kolkata’s a favourite for big games, and the choice to bring the title clash back there only adds to the old-school cricket charm.
Changing up the home venues could spice things up for teams and supporters. Will Delhi's play feel different in Visakhapatnam under the sea breeze? Can Punjab turn two stadiums into fortresses? As always with IPL, expect the unexpected.