How to Watch IPL Live in Australia?

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The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the biggest Twenty20 cricket competition in the world. Run by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) since 2008, the tournament brings ten franchise teams together for a 74-match season played between late March and the end of May. The 2026 season produced a historic finish: Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Gujarat Titans in the final in Ahmedabad on 31 May 2026 to win their second consecutive title, with Virat Kohli scoring an unbeaten 75.

For Australian fans, the good news is that every match is available to watch live, officially. The bad news is that there is no free-to-air coverage. This guide covers your real options for the 2027 season: Kayo Sports and Foxtel for the full official broadcast, and the VPN route to India’s JioHotstar if you want a cheaper, geo-workaround option.

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Where to Watch the IPL Live in Australia

The Foxtel Group holds exclusive Australian broadcast rights for the IPL through the 2027 season. That means every match, from the opening game to the final, is broadcast on Fox Cricket and streamed on Kayo Sports. This has been the case since the 2023 rights cycle, and it applies to the upcoming 2027 tournament.

Kayo Sports (every match, streaming)

Kayo Sports is the easiest way for most Australians to watch the IPL. Every game is streamed live through the Fox Cricket channel, and you do not need a lock-in contract.

• Kayo’s standard plan was around A$29.99 per month at the time of writing (mid-2026), with 7-day free trials and regular first-month discount offers for new subscribers. Check current plans at kayosports.com.au before you sign up.
• Kayo Minis condenses each completed match into a short highlights package, which is handy because evening games often finish around 3am to 4am AEST.
• SplitView lets you watch both games on a double-header day at once, and No Spoilers mode hides results when you watch replays later.
• Matches typically start at 9pm AEDT (first game on double-header days) or 1am AEDT (evening games), so most games are night viewing for Australian fans.

Foxtel and Fox Cricket (every match, TV)

If you already subscribe to Foxtel for AFL, NRL or Australian cricket, the IPL is included with the Sports HD pack on the Fox Cricket channel, so there is no extra cost. Foxtel is the traditional option and offers the same live coverage as Kayo, plus 4K on selected events where supported.

Is the IPL free on Australian TV?

No. There is no free-to-air coverage of the IPL in Australia. It is not broadcast on Channel 7, 9, 10, SBS or any of their streaming apps. If you searched for a way to watch IPL live free, the honest answer is that the only official live options are Kayo or Foxtel, plus the JioHotstar route covered below. The cheapest legitimate ways to watch are Kayo’s trial and new-subscriber promos, and for budget watchers the VPN option below. Free official highlights of every match are posted on the IPL’s YouTube channel, usually within a few hours of the game finishing.

Why the Viewing Options Changed (2023 to 2027 Rights)

If you read an older version of this guide, you may remember Disney+ Hotstar, Willow TV and YuppTV being listed as the main ways to watch. Those recommendations are outdated, and here is what changed.

• Australia: Foxtel Group (Fox Cricket and Kayo) has held exclusive Australian rights since the 2023 season, through 2027.
• India: Star Sports holds the pay-TV rights and JioHotstar holds the streaming rights for the 2023 to 2027 cycle. Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema merged into JioHotstar in February 2025 after the Reliance and Disney (JioStar) merger.
• Willow TV covers the United States and Canada only. It has never held Australian rights, so it is not a real option for viewers in Australia.
• YuppTV is a service aimed at viewers in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe. Again, it is not an Australian broadcaster.

If you see a guide telling Australians to sign up to Willow or YuppTV for the IPL, it is recycling old information. The two correct options for Australians are Kayo or Foxtel, with the JioHotstar VPN route as the only realistic alternative.

The VPN Option: Watch on JioHotstar (India)

JioHotstar is India’s biggest streaming platform, created in February 2025 when Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema were merged under JioStar. It carries every IPL match live in up to 12 languages including English, and was the first IPL broadcaster to offer 4K streams. It is geo-restricted to India, which is where a VPN comes in.

1. Get ExpressVPN. It has a large network of India servers and is one of the most reliable VPNs for streaming. See our best VPN guide for Australians for alternatives if you want to compare.
2. Connect to an India server. In the ExpressVPN app, pick Mumbai, which is well served by ExpressVPN and works reliably with Indian streaming services.
3. Open JioHotstar. Sign up at jiohotstar.com or via the Android or iOS app, then stream the match. The platform moved to a hybrid model in 2025: you get a period of free, ad-supported viewing before a subscription is required. Ad-supported mobile plans started at about INR 149 for three months (under A$5), with premium plans around INR 1,499 per year. Check the current pricing and any free-viewing window at the start of the season.

Two honest caveats before you go this route. First, watching JioHotstar from outside India technically works with a VPN, but it sits outside the platform’s terms of use, and streaming services regularly block VPN IP addresses. Second, paid JioHotstar tiers may need an Indian payment method such as an Indian credit card, UPI or a Jio/Airtel billing arrangement. The free tier needs no payment, which is why it remains popular with Australian IPL fans. If you want a strictly policy-safe option, Kayo or Foxtel is the way to go.

IPL 2027 Season at a Glance

• Dates: 10 March to 15 May 2027, per the BCCI’s announced window (74 matches).
• Teams: Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, Kolkata Knight Riders, Lucknow Super Giants, Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
• Format: each team plays 14 league games (double round robin), then the top four advance to the playoffs, finishing with the final.
• Defending champions: Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who won the 2025 and 2026 titles. Kagiso Rabada took the 2026 Purple Cap with 29 wickets, and Rajasthan Royals’ Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was named Most Valuable Player after a record-breaking season at 15 years old.
• Schedule caveat: the detailed fixture list for 2027 had not been fully released at the time of writing. Expect the usual pattern of early evening starts in India, meaning 9pm AEDT first games on double-header days and 1am AEDT starts for the night match, with finals at the end of May.

What Time Do IPL Matches Start in Australia?

IPL matches are played in India on IST, so most games land in the Australian overnight window. In previous seasons, evening games in India started at 1am AEDT, and on double-header days the first match began at 9pm AEDT (10.30pm ACDT, 10pm AEST during daylight saving). The second game of a double header follows about two hours later. The 2027 fixture list will confirm exact start times, but expect the same pattern as the 2026 season.

Which Devices Can You Watch On?

Kayo Sports works on smart TVs, Apple TV, Android TV, Foxtel iQ and Foxtel Go, phones, tablets and browsers. Foxtel coverage is on the Fox Cricket channel across Foxtel boxes and Foxtel Go. JioHotstar has apps for Android and iOS, Apple TV, Android TV and Fire TV, plus a browser version, so the VPN route works on most devices too.

Why the VPNStreamer Recommendation

For most Australian cricket fans, Kayo Sports is the best balance of price, reliability and convenience: every match officially, no contract, and highlight packages for the matches you sleep through. The ExpressVPN and JioHotstar route remains the budget option used by many expat fans, provided you accept the terms-of-use and VPN-blocking risks. For anything more, our complete best VPN guide compares all the major providers for Australian users, and see how to watch Hotstar in Australia for device-specific help with India’s streaming platforms.

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