The 2025 edition of the IPL is set to resume on May 17. However, the tournament spilling over into June may affect the overseas players’ availability, given that the England-West Indies ODI series clashes with the playoffs and there is just a one-week gap between the IPL and WTC finals.
The 2025 edition of the IPL is set to resume on Saturday, May 17 with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) taking on the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The final of the tournament will now take place on June 3 and the stretching out of the tournament to the next month might leave the overseas players’ availability in limbo.
“After extensive consultations with government and security agencies, and with all the key stakeholders, the Board has decided to proceed with the remainder of the season,” the BCCI said in a statement while announcing the new schedule.
The playoffs are now set to clash with the England-West Indies ODI series with players such as Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Jos Buttler, and Jacob Bethell among others likely to be part of both. The final of IPL 2025 on June 3 is now just a week before the start of the World Test Championship (WTC) final between Australia and South Africa. Five of Australia’s WTC Final squad members are involved in the IPL while the number will go up to as many as eight for South Africa.
Cricket Australia (CA), however, has sided with its players and given them a free hand to make a decision of their own and has vowed to support the players in whatever call they take. “Cricket Australia will support players in their individual decisions whether to return to India or not,” CA said in a statement.
“Team management will work through the preparation implications for the World Test Championship final for those players who choose to play in the remaining IPL matches. We are maintaining communication with the Australian Government and BCCI around security arrangements and safety,” CA added.
While Josh Hazlewood is unlikely to return for the contenders RCB with a shoulder niggle, Mitchell Starc’s manager too confirmed to the Australian media that the veteran pacer may not go back to India to complete the rest of the season. Since most of the overseas players have gone back, the recall with such a short turnaround, with the fear and anxiety of security and safety, might not be the best scenario for the IPL to resume but it is what it is and the teams less affected with the players involved in schedule clashes, might fancy their chance of making a late charge towards the playoffs.
