Our Bureau
New Delhi
The 18th edition of the Indian Premier League was suspended by the Board of Control for Cricket in India due to safety concerns amidst the rising conflicts between India and Pakistan. After the suspension of the league, while many players stayed, a number of overseas players left India and returned back to their countries immediately.
It is now being reported that the BCCI and many other franchises have now started calling back the players who had earlier left the country. Although the BCCI has not received any official statement on when they can restart the tournament, the board seems to be optimistic that the league can resume shortly.
The decision to recall the overseas players can be seen as a result of the Ceasefire agreement that both nuclear-powered nations made on 10th May 2025. It is being reported that the tournament might resume on 15th May with a total of 12 league matches and 4 playoff matches left to be played.
It is also being reported that majorly of all the venues might be able to retain their matches which earlier didn’t seem to be the possibility. Prior to the announcement of a ceasefire, the broadcasters had told their crew to stay back in cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai only. But after the announcement it is highly likely that all the stadiums other than Dharamshala might retain their rights to host matches.
The main concern for the franchises now is how they can call their players back. Many players were stopped from leaving the country as a ceasefire agreement was being reached but still some key players of many franchises have left. For example, an in-form team like Gujarat Titans who are at the brink of reaching the playoffs, their two key players Jos Buttler and Gerald Coetzee have left the team and efforts are being made to pursue them.
