The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is now working fast to restart IPL 2025 in May, after India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday.
This ceasefire has made it possible for the IPL to continue. The tournament was stopped last Friday because of increased tension at the border.
“The war is over now. In this new situation, BCCI leaders and the IPL governing council will meet tomorrow (Sunday) to decide the next steps,” said BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla in an interview with PTI Videos. He also said, “We will plan the best schedule to finish the tournament.”
All ten IPL teams are already speaking with their foreign players and coaches, and preparations are being made to restart the tournament.
According to ESPNcricinfo, the IPL could start again as soon as May 15, but it still needs approval from the Indian government.
The tournament was stopped after rising tensions between India and Pakistan, which also caused the May 8 match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala to be canceled after only 10.1 overs. Now that things have calmed down, teams are hoping the IPL will continue soon.
But one major challenge is getting overseas players and coaches back. Many of them left India on Friday and Saturday. Some have been asked to return quickly. A few teams have told their coaching staff not to travel for now, and others have stopped the travel plans of players who were about to leave.
Gujarat Titans are in a better spot than many other teams, as only two of their overseas players — Jos Buttler and Gerald Coetzee — have left India. The team is now trying to bring them back.
As the IPL looks to restart in May, player availability is still a big concern. Teams are hopeful that most overseas players will return if the league resumes in mid-May. However, there’s uncertainty if it continues past May 25, as many players need to join their national teams for upcoming matches, including the World Test Championship (WTC) final starting June 11 at Lord’s.
So far, 57 out of the 60 scheduled IPL matches have been played. The last 12 league matches and 4 playoff games might be hosted in southern cities like Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad. Seven teams still have a chance to make the playoffs. Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), and Rajasthan Royals (RR) are already out.
IPL fans are eagerly waiting for the tournament to return. Meanwhile, the BCCI is working hard to handle the situation and bring back the excitement for a strong finish to IPL 2025.
