Central Delhi Kings (CDK) will battle East Delhi Riders (EDR) in Qualifier 1 of the  Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2025 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, on Friday, August 29, at 2:00 PM IST. CDK, captained by Jonty Sidhu, topped the points table with seven victories, two defeats, and one no result, finishing with 15 points. They enter this clash full of confidence, having defeated EDR by 62 runs in their most recent league encounter.

EDR, captained by Anuj Rawat, won six, lost two, and had two no results in the group stage. EDR's consistent campaign was somewhat ruined with the ugly defeat against CDK in their last meeting, which showed up a few areas where EDR must improve quickly. With a place in the final at stake, the Riders will be looking to reset their focus in a bid to deliver a far better performance.

CDK vs EDR: Head-to-Head Record

• Matches Played: 03 
  
• Won by CDK: 02 
  
• Won by EDR: 01 
  
• No Result: 00 
  

CDK has the overall advantage, with two wins out of the last three matches played between the two sides.

CDK vs EDR: Pitch Report

Rain has been a huge factor in the last few games played at Arun Jaitley Stadium and may very well be again in this knockout contest. More often than not, the team winning the toss in these matches will elect to bowl first, as a chasing team always seems to have more luck in these shortened matches.

See Also: DPL 2025 Qualifier 1: Central Delhi Kings vs East Delhi Riders live streaming & where to watch

CDK vs EDR: Predicted Playing XIs

Central Delhi Kings (CDK): Aaryavir Sehwag, Kaushal Suman (wk), Yugal Saini, Jonty Sidhu (c), Aditya Bhandari, Aryan Rana, Simarjeet Singh, Jasvir Sehrawat, Tejas Baroka, Money Grewal, Gavinsh Khurana

East Delhi Riders (EDR): Vaibhav Baisla, Hardik Sharma, Anuj Rawat (c & wk), Rohan Rathi, Arpit Rana, Mayank Rawat, Rounak Waghela, Navdeep Saini, Ashish Meena, Ajay Ahlawat, Rohit Yadav

The South Delhi Superstarz Women (SDS-W) face off against the Central Delhi Queens (CDQ-W) in the spectacular finale of the Women's Delhi Premier League 2025 on August 24, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Both teams have played three matches each in the league, with two wins apiece. The Superstarz, however, topped the table with 5 points owing to a no-result fixture, while the Queens finished second, losing their only game against the same opponents. So, with the cup up for grabs, it feels like a thriller of a showdown pitching the two hottest sides against each other.

The Superstarz will have the advantage of the previous encounter between the two teams in the tournament, where they got the better of the Queens. Meanwhile, the Queens will have a great desire to flip the scenario and do the right thing at the right time. As there is a lot of quality and depth in both the squads and the final is a pressure game, this game will be a treat to watch.

SDS-W vs CDQ-W: Head-to-Head Record 

• Total Matches: 2
• South Delhi Superstarz Women: 2
• Central Delhi Queens: 0
  

South Delhi Superstarz Women have been victorious in all their encounters so far and have thus comprehensively surpassed the rivalry.

SDS-W vs CDQ-W: Pitch Report

The Arun Jaitley Stadium is the batter's paradise, with the small boundaries giving it a batter-friendly venue. Batters normally have a field day, but bowlers will have to be on their game, especially in the last few overs. Teams that win the toss are more likely to opt to bat first to set a tough total.

See Also: WDPL 2025 Final: South Delhi Superstarz Women vs Central Delhi Queens live streaming & where to watch

SDS-W vs CDQ-W: Predicted Playing XIs

South Delhi Superstarz Women (SDS-W): R. Priyadarshni (wk), Shweta Sehrawat (c), Ekta Bhadana, Shivi Sharma, Tanishqa, Chhavi Gupta, Disha Nagar, Medhavi Bidhuri, Himakshi Choudhary, Riya Soni, Tanisha Singh.

Central Delhi Queens (CDQ-W): Nishika Singh (wk), Riya Shokeen, Monika, Nidhi Mahto, Deeksha Sharma, Avleen Kaur, Riya Kondal, Parunika Sisodia, Priya Mishra, Soni Yadav (c), Saachi.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is thinking about making the IPL even bigger. From the 2028 season, they are planning to increase the number of matches to 94, but the number of teams will stay the same at 10. Right now, the 10 teams play 74 matches in total to fight for the trophy.

According to social media reports, IPL chairman Arun Singh Dhumal said that the BCCI wants to move to a full home-and-away format from the next media rights cycle, which will start in 2028. He explained, "Ideally, we want a longer window, maybe increasing the number of games from 74 to 84 or even 94 at some point. We want every team to play every other team at home and away. For that, we will need 94 games."

However, Dhumal also said that it's not easy to do it right now because there’s already too much cricket happening bilateral series, ICC tournaments, and more. "In the short term, it’s tough. But cricket is changing every year, and maybe in the future, we’ll find a way to make it happen," he said.

He added, "We just had a Test series in Australia, then the Champions Trophy, and now IPL. So, it didn’t make sense to jump to 84 matches straight away in 2025. But when the time is right, we’ll take that step."

#IPL chairman Arun Dhumal hints at an expanded 94-match IPL in 2028 without new teams. #IPL #BCCI #IndianPremierLeague #CricketFever pic.twitter.com/qPXx2j2f0a

— Sachi (@sachi_gkp) April 28, 2025

BCCI Plans Bigger IPL with 94 Matches from 2028

The IPL 2025 season has been really exciting. All 10 teams are still in the race for the playoffs, which has made things even more interesting. Dhumal said he would love to see a new champion this year. "Every year, the IPL keeps getting bigger," he said. "The way fans have supported the tournament, whether it's TV ratings or people coming to the stadiums, has been amazing. We’re proud of how the IPL has grown over the last 17 years, and we’re sure this 18th season will be even better."

ALSO READ: WATCH: Ravichandran Ashwin honoured with Padma Shri Award by Government of India

He also mentioned that he’s hoping for a fresh winner in this IPL 2025. "Teams like Delhi Capitals have been playing well for a few seasons but haven’t won the trophy yet. Punjab Kings made it to a final once, and RCB have had their good moments too. If any of these teams win, it will be great for the league. It would make me really happy to see a new team lift the trophy," he said.