IPL Trophy presented before Lord Jagannath in Puri Srimandir ahead of mega-tournament in March

Ahead of the tournament’s anticipated start in March, the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy arrived at the Puri Jagannath Temple on Sunday. The trophy was brought on behalf of the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and presented in front of the three presiding deities.

A special puja was also conducted and the trophy offered its respects. Notably, the IPL trophy will head to various more prominent temples across the country for rituals and blessings before the tournament kicks in.

While the official website of the IPL has yet to release the schedule for the 2025 edition, media reports point that the tournament will begin on March 22 and the first match will likely feature Kolkata Knight Riders taking on the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

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Meanwhile, most of the franchises shook up quite a bit during the IPL mega-auctions a few months before. As such, several changes are in store for the upcoming 2025 edition of the IPL with many prominent players switching camps.

For KKR, Varun Chakaravarthy and Rinku Singh became the highest-paid retainers whereas RCB held on to Virat Kohli for Rs 21 crore. Similarly, Sam Curran and Noor Ahmed are set to join the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) squad whereas players like Moeen Ali and Deepak Chahar were released from the camp.

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Mumbai Indians released the likes of Ishan Kishan, Piyush Chawla, and  Arjun Tendulkar but retained Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma, and Hardik Pandya, among others. With further shake-ups across all the participating teams, the IPL 2025 is shaping up to be quite a fun affair for cricket fans across the country.