IPL 2021 has been such an exhilarating and entertaining season. With postpones, resuming, bio bubble due to corona, change of venues and countries, and a ton of ups and downs, IPL 2021 kept us entertaining throughout. The tournament ended last night with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) winning the title. CSK defeated KKR by 27 runs and the season came to an end with some extraordinary and game-changing performances by some players. SportzPoint.com presents you with a list of all the award winners of IPL 2021.

IPL 2021 winner: Chennai Super Kings

CSK was the first team to qualify for the playoffs this year. The men in yellow executed the perfect team performance this year and clinched their fourth title last night. Faf du Plessis was awarded the Player of the Match.

Read also: IPL records: 5 youngest batsmen to score IPL century

Most valuable player of the season: Harshal Patel

The RCB player Harshal Patel is the first-ever most valuable player in the history of IPL with no prior experience in international matches. His performances in this season were exceptional. His game-changing bowling was some crucial reason behind RCB's wins. No wonders why he is the most valuable player this season.

Read also: Virat Kohli Captaincy Records for RCB

Orange cap: Ruturaj Gaikwad

With 635 runs in 16 IPL matches including 1 century and 4 half-centuries, Ruturaj Gaikwad became the Orange cap holder this season. The CSK opener stunned everyone with great push in the powerplay and continued his class in middle overs as well. At the last match, he surpassed KL Rahul and became the highest run-scorer this year.

Purple cap: Harshal Patel- 32 wickets

Harshal Patel bagged the Purple cap this year with 32 wickets. The RCB player also is the joint highest wicket-taker ever in IPL alongside Dwayne Bravo in 15 matches. Some of his most memorable knocks a season are the 5 wicket haul against Mumbai Indians and the 4 wicket haul as well.

Read also: Most Wickets in IPL in any season by an Indian player

Power player of the season: Venkatesh Iyer

Venkatesh Iyer is clearly one of the biggest assets of Kolkata Knight Riders. Undoubtedly, one of the finest finds this season, the KKR opener made sure to give a great start to the team every time especially in the finals. It didn't matter for him who is bowling and whether it is spin or pace or yorker or googly, he clearly thrashed all the bowlers.

Read also: Venkatesh Iyer: Who is this new KKR sensation?

Maximum Sixes: KL Rahul with 30 sixes

Punjab Kings might have had a disappointing season but their captain KL Rahul had an unbelievable season this year. He was so close to becoming the orange cap holder this year but in the finals, Gaikwad overtook him. KL Rahul ended his IPL 2021 journey with 626 runs before the playoffs but continued to be a part of the orange cap race till the very end of the seaon.

Game changer of the season: Harshal Patel

His skills of picking up crucial wickets in dire situations and rescuing the team from losing justify the reason behind him being the game-changer of IPL 2021.

Read also: IPL records: IPL captains to score centuries

Super Striker of the season: Shimron Hetmyer

With a strike rate of 168, Shimron Hetmyer of Delhi Capitals becomes the super striker of the season. He played quite a few good knocks for DC this year.

Catch of the season: Ravi Bishnoi

Good fielding can change the match's fate in no time. And some good fielding always stays in everyone's memory till the last. One such example is Ravi Bishnoi's catch in Ahmedabad. With a full-length dive at deep mid-wicket, Ravi Bishnoi caught Sunil Narine's catch. For this stunning catch, he also achieved the feat of the catch of the season.

Read also: IPL Records: 13 players who have played in every season of IPL from 2008

Fairplay award: Rajasthan Royals

In IPL 2021, Rajasthan Royals won the Paytm Fairplay award for their spirit of the game and following everything better than the other teams.

Read also: IPL 2021: Most Orange Cap Holders In IPL History

Emerging player of the season: Ruturaj Gaikwad

Among all the cricketers who joined the IPL in the past few years, Ruturaj Gaikwad unquestionably has the best season this year. He boosted CSK by scoring runs as an opener, kept the momentum up in the middle overs, and also won the Orange Cap at the end of the season. Lastly, he also became the emerging player of IPL 2021.

India started their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign with a win over Bangladesh on Thursday in Dubai. Despite a ton from Towhid Hridoy, Mohammad Shami's five-wicket haul had restricted Bangladesh to 228 in the first inning. Shubman Gill then scored his 8th ODI ton to take India home with six wickets in hands and 21 balls remaining. Here are the highlights of the Bangladesh vs India match in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Shami gave India a perfect start

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and decided to put runs on the board. With three pacers in the team and two excellent spinners, they were confident to defend anything on that Dubai wicket, which everyone knew would get slower with time.

However, to put pressure on a team like India, the Tigers needed at least a respectable total on the board. A fiery opening spell from Mohammad Shami and Harshit Rana put them in a spot of bother. Shami nicked off Soumya Sarkar in the first over on a duck while captain Shanto was sent back by Rana in the next over on a duck as well. 

Mehidy Hasan Miraz (5) tried to build a partnership with Tanzid Hasan but Shami got the better of him in the seventh over.

Rohit messed up Axar's hat-trick

Post that wicket, Axar Patel was brought into the attack by Rohit Sharma and he nearly became the first Indian bowler to get a hat-trick in an ICC event for India. Patel first removed Tanzid Hasan on 25. KL Rahul took a sharp catch behind the stumps. In the next ball, Mushfiqur Rahim edged one to Rahul to bring Axar on a hat-trick. 

In the hat-trick ball, Axar did what he could have done, but Rohit Sharma missed an easy catch at the first slip to dismiss the historical moment. 

Record partnership from Hridoy and Ali

From being 35/5, Jaker Ali and Towhid Hridoy put up a massive 154-run partnership, which is the highest 6th-wicket partnership for Bangladesh in ODI cricket. But, the scenes would not have been the same if Hardik Pandya had not dropped Hridoy on 24 in the 20th over. 

Shami with a five-fer

Not only that two overs later, KL Rahul missed a stumping chance of Jaker Ali on 24. Finally, Mohammad Shami was able to break the partnership as Jaker Ali tried to change gears against Shami’s off-cutter on 68 off 114 balls. 

Rishad Hossain tried to score a few quick runs but Harshit Rana got the better of him with a short ball in the 46th over. Bangladesh would have gotten more runs if Towhid Hridoy had not cramped badly. The right-handed batter nearly had to drag himself out of the crease to complete his runs. He was on the ground in agonising pain multiple times. 

Shami meantime dismissed Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Taskin Ahmed to get his give-wicket haul. With that wicket, Shami also became the Indian bowler with the most wickets in ICC events. 

Fighting maiden ODI ton from Hridoy

Hridoy though kept himself going and completed his maiden ODI ton even under tremendous pain. He was finally caught in the short fine leg on 100 off Harshit Rana as Bangladesh finished on 228 in the first inning. 

Flying start to India's inning

In the break, Axar Patel stated that the wickets got slower as the ball got older. So, with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill at the top of the order, it was quite evident they would have gone for some quick runs against the pacers. 

They did that as India reached 69 runs in the first powerplay but lost Rohit Sharma on 41 off 36 in the second last ball of the powerplay. Rohit tried to clear in the circle, but could not connect the short ball from Taskin and was caught around the edge of the circle. Rohit went back to the dressing room but not before becoming the second fastest to score 11000 ODI runs. 

Bangladeshi spinners controlled the middle overs

Virat Kohli came at number three and soon Shanto brought his spinners Miraz and Rishad to stop the modern master. The plan fell into place as well and Kohli (22) was caught at backward point while trying a cut shot against Rishad. 

However, Shubman Gill looked apart as he scored his fourth consecutive ODI fifty. Shreyas Iyer came at number four and after a few good-looking strokes, was outfoxed by a slower one from Mustafizur Rahaman on 15 from 17 balls.

Classy and consistent as ever! ✨

1⃣6⃣th ODI FIFTY for Shubman Gill 👏👏

Follow the Match ▶️ https://t.co/ggnxmdG0VK#TeamIndia | #BANvIND | #ChampionsTrophy | @ShubmanGill pic.twitter.com/4nvl8Bw90H

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 20, 2025

With spinners bowling at random, India sent Axar Patel at number five as the run flow got stuck as well. It looked like India were waiting for the spell of spinners to finish. But, Patel could resist the wrong one from Risahd and top-edged to put the match somewhat level. 

Bangladesh could have made things worse for India if Jaker Ali would not have missed an easy catch at deep mid-wicket on 7 in the 37th over. 

KL Rahul dropped on 9 runs#ChampionsTrophy2025 pic.twitter.com/0lj0f8PXaJ

— 𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒔 (@Shebas_10dulkar) February 20, 2025

With the net run rate being around 4 and 5, India decided to go slow and steady. Gill and Rahul started accumulating singles and doubles with a boundary here and there. They completed their 50-run partnership in 66 balls as Rishad Hossain finished his spell with 38/2 in 10 overs. 

As India got close to the target, Gill brought out his big shots and completed his consecutive ODI ton in 125 balls to take India home. Gill was patient and skilful enough to take the game deep and away from Bangladesh with his 8th ODI ton in just 51 games. 

Gill remained unbeaten on 101 from 129 balls while Rahul finished off in style with a six as he was undefeated on 41 from 47. India bagged their first win in the Champions Trophy and will face Pakistan in their next game on Sunday.

BAN vs IND: Match Summary

A solid start for Team India in the Champions Trophy!

Shubman Gill’s unbeaten 101* and KL Rahul’s steady 41* guided India to a five-wicket victory over Bangladesh. 🩵🇮🇳

A confident chase to kick off the campaign in style!

#INDvBAN #ShubmanGill #TeamIndia #KlRahul pic.twitter.com/8PqJorE0m8

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) February 20, 2025

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the defending champions of Indian Premier League (IPL) will play the opening match of IPL 2025. The three time champions will start the 18th edition of the tournament with a mega clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on 22nd March at the iconic Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata.

Read Also | IPL 2025 Full Schedule: Kolkata to host the opener and final; KKR to face RCB in the first match

KKR will play seven matches at their home in Kolkata and other seven at away venues. Below is the full IPL 2025 schedule of Kolkata Knight Riders. 

IPL 2025 schedule of Kolkata Knight Riders

1. March 22, Saturday - Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru - 7:30 PM - Kolkata
2. March 26, Wednesday - Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders - 7:30 PM - Guwahati
3. March 31, Monday - Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders - 7:30 PM - Mumbai
4. April 3, Thursday - Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad - 7:30 PM - Kolkata
5. April 6, Sunday - Kolkata Knight Riders vs Lucknow Super Giants - 3:30 PM - Kolkata
6. April 11, Friday - Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders - 7:30 PM - Chennai
7. April 15, Tuesday - Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders - 7:30 PM - Mullanpur
8. April 21, Monday - Kolkata Knight Riders vs Gujarat Titans - 7:30 PM - Kolkata
9. April 26, Saturday - Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings - 7:30 PM - Kolkata
10. April 29, Tuesday - Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders - 7:30 PM - Delhi
11. May 4, Sunday - Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals - 3:30 PM - Kolkata
12. May 7, Wednesday - Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings - 7:30 PM - Kolkata
13. May 10, Saturday - Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders - 7:30 PM - Hyderabad
14. May 17, Saturday - Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Kolkata Knight Riders - 7:30 PM - Bengaluru

Rajasthan Royals (RR) will commence their IPL 2025 campaign on 23 March 2025 as they will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in an away game. The Sanju Samson-captained side will play their opening two home games in Guwahati and will play their first game in Jaipur on 13 April against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

The inaugural champions of the IPL qualified for the play-offs in IPL 2024, as they finished third after failing to go past Qualifier 2.

Read Also | IPL 2025 Full Schedule: Kolkata to host the opener and final; KKR to face RCB in the first match

Here is the full IPL 2025 Schedule of Rajasthan Royals.

IPL 2025 Schedule of Rajasthan Royals

1. March 23, Sunday - Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals - 3:30 PM - Hyderabad
2. March 26, Wednesday - Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders - 7:30 PM - Guwahati
3. March 30, Sunday - Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings - 7:30 PM - Guwahati
4. April 5, Saturday - Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals - 7:30 PM - Mullanpur
5. April 9, Wednesday - Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals - 7:30 PM - Ahmedabad
6. April 13, Sunday - Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru - 3:30 PM - Jaipur
7. April 16, Wednesday - Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals - 7:30 PM - Delhi
8. April 19, Saturday - Rajasthan Royals vs Lucknow Super Giants - 7:30 PM - Jaipur
9. April 24, Thursday - Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Rajasthan Royals - 7:30 PM - Bengaluru
10. April 28, Monday - Rajasthan Royals vs Gujarat Titans - 7:30 PM - Jaipur
11. May 1, Thursday - Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians - 7:30 PM - Jaipur
12. May 4, Sunday - Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals - 3:30 PM - Kolkata
13. May 12, Monday - Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals - 7:30 PM - Chennai
14. May 16, Friday - Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings - 7:30 PM - Jaipur

Five time Indian Premier League (IPL) champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will kick-off their IPL 2025 campaign on March 23 against their arch-rivals Mumbai Indians. Both the five-time champions would love to set the IPL 2025 on fire with exciting fixture between them. 

Read Also | IPL 2025 schedule of Kolkata Knight Riders

As per reports, this will be the last time fans will get to see MS Dhoni in action, which will make every CSK match more exciting and thrilling. Here is the full IPL 2025 Schedule of Chennai Super Kings. 

 IPL 2025 schedule of Chennai Super Kings

1. March 23, Sunday - Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians - 7:30 PM - Chennai
2. March 28, Friday - Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru - 7:30 PM - Chennai
3. March 30, Sunday - Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings - 7:30 PM - Guwahati
4. April 5, Saturday - Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals - 3:30 PM - Chennai
5. April 8, Tuesday - Punjab Kings vs Chennai Super Kings - 7:30 PM - New Chandigarh
6. April 11, Friday - Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders - 7:30 PM - Chennai
7. April 14, Monday - Lucknow Super Giants vs Chennai Super Kings - 7:30 PM - Lucknow
8. April 20, Sunday - Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings - 7:30 PM - Mumbai
9. April 25, Friday - Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad - 7:30 PM - Chennai
10. April 30, Wednesday - Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings - 7:30 PM - Chennai
11. May 3, Saturday - Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Chennai Super Kings - 7:30 PM - Bengaluru
12. May 7, Wednesday - Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings - 7:30 PM - Kolkata
13. May 12, Monday - Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals - 7:30 PM - Chennai
14. May 18, Sunday - Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings - 3:30 PM - Ahmedabad

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the schedule for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The 18th edition of the prestigious tournament will commence on March 22, 2025 and the Final will be played on May 25, 2025 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

The 74 matches of the season will be played across 13 venues and will include 12 double-headers. While the afternoon games will begin at 03.30 PM IST, the evening games will begin from 07.30 PM IST.

RCB to face KKR in the IPL 2025 Opener

The cricketing extravaganza will kick off when the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) host the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 22, 2025.

The first of the 12 double-headers day will take place on March 23, 2025 as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) face Rajasthan Royals (RR) in an afternoon game in Hyderabad. This will be followed by a mouthwatering clash in the evening as the two five-time IPL champions – Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) – lock horns at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.

Delhi Capitals (DC) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will play their respective first match of the season when they take on each other in Visakhapatnam on March 24, 2025. The world’s biggest cricket stadium – Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad – will host its first game of the season when Gujarat Titans (GT) host Punjab Kings (PBKS) on March 25, 2025.

DC, RR and PBKS to play at two venues in IPL 2025

Three of the ten IPL teams will play at two venues each. DC will play their home games in Visakhapatnam and at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. RR will play their two home games at Guwahati - where they host KKR and CSK – and play the remainder of the home games at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. 

PBKS, meanwhile, will play their four home matches at the New PCA Stadium, New Chandigarh while the picturesque Dharamsala will host three home games of PBKS – against LSG, DC and MI – at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium.

Following the conclusion of the league stage, the Playoffs will be played across Hyderabad and Kolkata. Hyderabad will host the Qualifier 1 and Eliminator on May 20, 2025 and May 21, 2025 respectively.

The action will then shift to Kolkata which will host the Qualifier 2 on May 23, 2025. The all-engrossing summit clash of the TATA IPL 2025 will be played on May 25, 2025.

IPL 2025 Schedule