In an unprecedented move, the IPL has released the dates for the next three seasons. IPL 2025 will start on March 14 with the final on May 25. The 2026 season will be played between March 15 and May 31, while the 2027 season will be between March 14 and May 30.

In the tender document for the new rights cycle, the IPL had listed a varying number of matches per season: ranging from 74 games each in 2023 and 2024, 84 matches each in 2025 and 2026, and a maximum of 94 games for the final year of the deal in 2027.

Overseas players signal full availability

In a major boost to franchises, overseas players from most Full Member countries have got a nod from their individual boards to play for the next three years in the IPL. This does not include Pakistan, whose players have not featured in IPL since the inaugural season in 2008 due to the political stalemate between the governments of both countries.

Following is the country-wise availability of overseas players for the next three IPL seasons between 2025 and 2027 as listed by IPL in the e-mail:

Australia: Cricket Australia (CA) has given clearance to all its players – both international and domestic – to feature in the 2025 season. In 2026, Australia will feature in a three-match ODI series in Pakistan which CA revealed will be “concluding no later than March 18”. Australian players participating in that series as well as those resting after the T20 World Cup (scheduled in India and Sri Lanka in February-March 2026) will join the IPL after the Pakistan tour. In 2027, Australian players featuring in the one-off Test between Australia and England in March to commemorate 150 years of Test cricket, will join after the match.

England: The ECB has submitted a list of 18 centrally contracted players who will be fully available for the next three IPL seasons. One big name missing from this list includes England Test captain Ben Stokes, who did not enter the 2025 IPL mega auction. The list of players who will be fully available between 2025 and 2027 includes: Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Olly Stone and Reece Topley.

The ECB has pointed out that a few of these players will be “out of contract” at some point during the 2025-27 period, but while they are contracted they will be available to play in the IPL. England’s non-centrally contracted players will be fully available for the next three seasons.

South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe: Players from these countries will be fully available.

Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has said its players will be fully available for the 2025 season. Those retained ahead of 2026 and 2027 will be available again.

Bangladesh: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has sent 13 names with varying availability for each player across the three-year period. The list includes: Taskin Ahmed, Litton Kumar Das, Mahedi Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Towhid Hridoy, Shoriful Islam, Shohidul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Nahid Rana, Tanzim Hasan Sakib

New South Wales 394 (Patterson 71, Maddinson 69, Davies 56, McAndrew 4-90) beat South Australia 110 (Hunt 30, Bird 7-46) and 283 (Lehmann 100, Kelly 59, Edwards 4-41, Bird 4-65) by an innings and 1 run

After claiming seven first-innings wickets to skittle the hosts for 110, Bird was a handful again with a four-wicket haul in the second innings at the Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide.

Despite the best efforts of Jake Lehmann, who scored his 11th first-class century, South Australia were unable to do enough to make NSW bat again.

It was the sixth 10-wicket match haul for Bird in a long and winding first-class career.

Bird’s previous five-wicket haul before he rocked South Australia on Thursday was back in March 2021, when he bagged 7-18 against the Blues while playing for Tasmania.

South Australia entered the match after beating NSW in the one-day cup match on Tuesday, and were previously undefeated in the Shield. But without Test keeper Alex Carey, who is preparing for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, SA suffered a major reality check in losing inside three days to a team on the rise.

Dropped from NSW’s Sheffield Shield side for most of last summer and fearing his career could be over, Patterson made it three straight half-centuries.

Stumps Western Australia 167 and 34 for 1 (Fanning 13*, Goodwin 10*, O’Neill 1-12) trail Victoria 373 (Rogers 76, Crone 62*, Handscomb 56, Paris 3-44, Gannon 3-59, Rocchiccioli 3-115) by 172 runs

Lower-order resistance helped Victoria claim a 206-run first-innings lead in their Sheffield Shield clash with three-time reigning champions Western Australia.

Victoria have set themselves up nicely to become the first team to beat WA in the Shield this season. WA are aiming to claim a fourth straight title, and were undefeated after three matches before they headed to Melbourne.

“The Prime Minister’s XI match presents an opportunity for a highly talented squad to impress against a strong Indian team in their only pink-ball hit out prior to the second Test,” national selector George Bailey said. “We are utilising the opportunity to maintain Scott Boland’s match fitness in his preparations as part of the Test squad.”

Beardman, the 19-year-old Western Australia fast bowler, was a shock addition to the tour of England in September and he has still only played one professional game. For Anderson, the call-up follows a hasty NSW debut earlier this season when he was a last-minute replacement for an ill Josh Hazlewood in the One-Day Cup match against Victoria where he claimed 3 for 37 and opened the bowling alongside Pat Cummins having only traveled to shadow the senior squad.

The ACT are represented in the 14-player squad by pace-bowling allrounder Hanno Jacobs while local premier cricketers will support the PM’s XI side throughout the game.

Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “Taking on India, one of the best sides in world cricket featuring the likes of Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant, will be an amazing experience for the squad, particularly knowing that millions of fans around the globe will be watching the match.”

The match is expected to be Rohit Sharma’s first of the tour after the India captained missed the Perth Test after the birth of his second child.

Prime Minister’s XI squad

Jack Edwards (capt), Charlie Anderson, Mahli Beardman, Scott Boland, Jack Clayton, Aidan O’Connor, Ollie Davies, Jayden Goodwin, Sam Harper, Hanno Jacobs, Sam Konstas, Lloyd Pope, Matt Renshaw Matthew Renshaw, Jem Ryan

The objection caused the delay in finalising a new route, raising the prospects of the tour being delayed altogether. The PCB had announced the launch and route of the tour on its social media channels on Thursday, catching the ICC by surprise; as it is an ICC event, the protocol is that the global body announces those details.

But an alternative route was finalised late on Friday, allowing the tour to begin, as originally planned and announced by the PCB, from Saturday. Former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar will accompany the trophy on the first day as it is displayed at well-known landmarks in the capital, including Daman-e-Koh, Faisal Mosque and the Pakistan Monument.

From Islamabad the trophy will go to schools, colleges and landmarks in Abbottabad, Murree and Karachi in the opening leg before heading off on an international tour, taking in the seven other countries who are part of the Champions Trophy.

The trophy then returns to Pakistan on January 27, three weeks before the scheduled start of the tournament, with another tour of venues around Pakistan.

The PCB has written to the ICC asking the BCCI to put down in writing the exact reasons for its inability to visit, as well as asking the ICC when they were informed of the BCCI’s decision.

The pair have been carefully managed in the early stages of this season – Richardson has played four domestic one-day games and Morris three alongside the final ODI against Pakistan – and it’s understood they will both be on workload restrictions during the Shield match.

That could leave captain Asthon Turner, who continues to deputise for the injured Sam Whiteman, with a juggling act and opens the door for allrounder Keaton Critchell to possibly make his debut.

“To be honest, felt like I was alive again,” Richardson said last week. “The bones and the muscles were a little bit sore, but that’s a good thing. Means you’ve done something purposeful. Haven’t had that feeling for a long time. So very happy.

“I think for the game, I bowled a spell of six, a spell of seven, and another two spells of six, or something like that. So they were relatively long spells, which is a good thing. I was able to sort of get into a bit of rhythm and feel what it’s like to bowl a long spell again.”

Meanwhile, Morris was the one positive to emerge from Australia’s thrashing against Pakistan in Perth as he took 2 for 24 from six overs.

Defending champions WA were beaten in the previous round but remain second on the table with two games remaining before the BBL break.

Ashton Turner (capt), Cameron Bancroft, Hilton Cartwright, Keaton Critchell, Joel Curtis, Sam Fanning, Cameron Gannon, Jayden Goodwin, Lance Morris, Joel Paris, Jhye Richardson, Corey Rocchiccioli, Teague Wyllie.