In a welcome move also aimed at locking in players within a clearly defined international window, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has announced the dates for the next three IPL seasons ahead of the upcoming mega auction in Jeddah.
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 run between March 14 and May 30.
As already reported, the 2025 season will comprise 74 matches, the same as the last three seasons.
Following is the country-wise availability of overseas players for the next three IPL seasons between 2025 and 2027 as listed by IPL governing council in an e-mail sent to the franchises, and accessed by ESPNcricinfo:
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.
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.
