The announcement of preparations for the resumption of IPL 2025 in May came into effect on Saturday. Rajeev Shukla, the vice-president of BCCI, remarked, “The war has stopped. In the new situation, BCCI office bearers, officials and IPL governing council will discuss the matter tomorrow (Sunday) and take a call. We will see which can be the best schedule to complete the tournament.”
As per reports, all the franchises are trying hard to get the players as well as coaching staff back to India. It is believed that if the BCCI gets the Indian government nod, the tournament can start as early as the coming weekend, that is, around May 15. The BCCI had suspended the tournament for one week on Friday, in view of the serious escalation of tensions across the border between India and Pakistan, due to which the Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals match was abandoned halfway through the first innings at Dharamsala on May 8.
The immediate duty ahead for the franchises is to ensure that their overseas contingent comes back, having witnessed a lot leaving India between Friday and Saturday. The franchises have contacted some of their players and staff to get them prepared for a flight back to India. There are instructions for players and support staff currently in transit to temporarily halt travel plans. One franchise even asked its coaching staff to postpone that trip to India, which was slated for Sunday.
This is where some teams are at a more favorable position than others; for example, only two overseas players of the Gujarat Titans have actually left the country, Jos Buttler and Gerald Coetzee, who are being requested by the franchise to be brought back in. Earlier on Saturday, the franchises had expressed optimism that, with the tournament scheduled to kick off in May, most overseas players would cooperate in returning to India.
