BCCI To Release New IPL 2025 Schedule? Faces Security Concerns For This Game

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has released the schedule for the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the start of February, as the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the defending champions, will host the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on March 22 at the Eden Gardens.

Kolkata clinched their third title of the tournament under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer as Gautam Gambhir, their former captain, also helped them in the process as the mentor. But he won’t be available in the new season, as they announced Ajinkya Rahane as the new leader.

IPL faces new challenge for KKR vs LSG encounter

Most of the teams have started their preparation for the upcoming edition of the IPL, but the schedule has received a few complications as KKR will face the Lucknow Super Giants on April 06 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Ram Navami.

Also Read: Watch: Ravi Shastri Labels Wasim Akram As A 'Nut Cracker'

The double occasions posed a unique challenge for the local authorities of the city as the day will witness several religious processions across Kolkata. Many reports have claimed that the Kolkata Police has expressed its inability to provide adequate security for the IPL clash, which raises concern for the potential change in the schedule.

The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has engaged in a discussion with the state’s Sports Minister, Aroop Biswas. Biswas has assured the CAB that he will show full support for the smooth process of the game, besides promising to have an interaction with the Kolkata Police to identify a feasible solution.

Changing the venue for the IPL clash or rescheduling is complex, given the enthusiasm surrounding the KKR and LSG fixture. But this game’s significance has grown due to the Super Giants’ ownership with the Kolkata industrialist, Sanjiv Goenka, and the recent addition of the star player, Rishabh Pant, to the side for the new season.

Lucknow Super Giants seek redemption in 2025

One of the biggest buys for the Super Giants in the mega auction of the IPL 2025 season was Rishabh Pant, whom they bought for a price of INR 27 crore. They retained the services of the wicket-keeper batter, Nicholas Pooran, for a price of INR 21 crore, besides keeping Mayank Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi for a price of INR 11 crore.

The franchise decided to back their middle order with the inclusion of David Miller for the IPL 2025 season, while they have some new exciting talents in the pace bowling department, including the likes of Shamar Joseph, Aakash Deep, Avesh Khan.

However, the only issue for them could be the experience of the pacers in crunch moments. They have missed it even in the last few seasons towards the back end of the tournament.

Ajinkya Rahane to lead Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2025

The Knight Riders decided to overlook Venkatesh Iyer as the new captain by providing responsibility to Ajinkya Rahane. They retained Rinky Singh and Varun Chakravarthy, besides keeping the two premier West Indies all-rounders, Sunil Narin and Andre Russell, for the two upcoming editions.

Also Read: Dinesh Karthik Brutally Attacks South Africa; Claims They Deliberately Lost To New Zealand

Their spin department looks sharp with the inclusion of Anukul Roy and Moeen Ali, as they will have Harshit Rana, who made his debut for the national side recently. Manish Pandey will be back in the franchise after a long time, while Umran Malik will be keen to show his express pace.

The first away fixture in the IPL 2025 for the Knights will be against the Rajasthan Royals at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati.