It is doubtful that all the foreign players who returned to their respective countries will come back to play after the suspension of the IPL
After the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 schedule was announced to be held from May 17 to June 3, the excitement started. According to the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI), the match will be held at six venues. The tournament was suspended last week amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan.
India has decided to start the remaining 17 matches after the ceasefire agreement between the two countries. The BCCI said in a statement, "After intensive discussions with the government, security agencies and all relevant agencies, it has been decided to restart the tournament."
Royal Challenger Bangalore will now host the defending champion Kolkata Knight Riders in the match to be played on Saturday and two matches will be held on Sunday. Other cities where the remaining games will be played are Jaipur, Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Along with the final, the venue of the four play-offs will be decided later.
According to the earlier schedule, the play-offs were to be held in Hyderabad and Kolkata. The final was scheduled to be held at Eden Gardens. Now the first qualifier will be held on May 29 and the eliminator will be held a day after that. The second qualifier will be held on June 1. The final will be held two days later. The two nuclear-armed countries only decided to stop the attack on Saturday. Last Friday, the tournament was suspended for a week.
Even the match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals could not be played in Dharamsala. Dharamshala is 200 km from the northern city of Jammu. In Jammu, blasts took place an hour before the start of the match. The players involved in that match were specifically called back to Delhi by train. The foreign player returned home on Saturday itself. Since 1947, India and Pakistan have gone to war three times over Kashmir.
Meanwhile, Cricket Australia on Tuesday gave its players the freedom to decide whether or not to play the tournament and said that it would support the player's decision. Cricket Australia has said, "Once the IPL is decided to start again, we will support the individual decision of the players to return to India or not." As the IPL will continue till June 3, preparations for the World Test Championship will also be affected.
Australia will face South Africa in the final on June 11. Among the players currently playing in the IPL, captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jos Hazlewood and Travis Jones have been named in both the squads named for the World Test Championship final and the tour of the West Indies. Hazlewood has said that he is not in a position to return to India due to injury. Cricket Australia says, "We are in constant contact with the Australian government and the BCCI board regarding the security arrangements."
Similarly, England has included five players who are playing in the IPL, including captain Jas Buttler, in the team for the one-day series against the West Indies on Tuesday. England has also not ruled out the possibility of banning the player from playing in the IPL. England are playing three one-day internationals between May 29 and June 3. Other English players playing in the IPL include Will Jack, Jacob Bethel, Jofra Archer and Jamie Overton.
PSL from Saturday
Pakistan Super League (PSL) will also start again from Saturday And Australian player David Warner has said that he will return. The match between Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings was stopped on Thursday and the competition did not go ahead. Even though it was decided to move the whole tournament to UAE, that too could not be completed. But after Pakistan and India agreed to a ceasefire, the Pakistan Cricket Board decided to resume the tournament from May 17.
