IPL 2025: Why only one match is scheduled on 26 April?

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been conducting double headers so far this season during the weekends, just like in the past. Surprisingly, this Saturday, on April 26 only one match has been scheduled which will be played between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Eden Gardens, and that sparked curiosity among the cricket lovers.

IPL weekends have been known for having matches played back-to-back on both Saturdays and Sundays. These weekend games give the audience a continuous cricketing entertainment and increase the viewership numbers for the broadcasters. However, IPL 2025 will feature only one match from this Saturday onwards, choosing a different approach.

Earlier in this season, a match between KKR and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) which was initially scheduled for Sunday, April 6, was changed to Tuesday, April 8. The change in the game was due to Ram Navami celebrations in Kolkata and so the local authorities informed the IPL Governing Council to shift the game which will ensure smooth management in public events and gatherings.

Also read: IPL 2025: Ranking the best Bowling Duos of the season

This shift in game disrupted the schedule flow of the IPL 2025, which initiated an adjustment in the match calendar to give required rest for the teams and prevent overloading during weekends. Due to maintaining operations and ensuring teams are given a necessary recovery time period between games, this decision was made to restrict Saturdays to a single match for the rest of the tournament.

Even though Saturdays have been changed to one match day, the Sundays will remain as double-headers providing the fans with cricketing action throughout the evening. In addition to this, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) tried to reduce the afternoon matches, due to the hot weather and heat gripping most of the country. This factor might affect the player abilities, performance, and also the attendance of the fans during afternoon fixtures.

As the season progresses, the management of players will become crucial and by reducing the double-headers it will help to minimize the risk of injuries, which will make the franchises perform better.