IPL breaking news

A couple of days after India and Pakistan agreed upon a ceasefire, the national cricket board (BCCI) decided to resume the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 from May 17, with the final slated for June 3, according to the revised schedule. Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders will restart the proceedings after the pause, with a league match scheduled at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday. Best Public Speaking Course for Children PlanetSpark Best Public Speaking Course for Children Ad The remainder of the tournament, which was suspended on May 9 for a week due to cross-border tensions between the two countries, will be played at six venues: Bengaluru, Jaipur, Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad. The venues for the playoffs will be announced later, but the matches will be played on the following dates: Qualifier 1 on May 29, the Eliminator on May 30, Qualifier 2 on June 1, and the final on June 3. A total of 17 matches will be played after the resumption, with two double-headers, both of which will be played on Sundays. On the first of the two double-header days, Rajasthan Royals (RR) will take on PBKS in the day game (3.30 pm IST) on May 18, and DC will take on Gujarat Titans (GT) in the evening (7.30 pm IST). The next Sunday (May 25) will see GT take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the day game in Ahmedabad, and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) meet KKR in Delhi at 7.30 pm IST. The last league game will be between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and RCB on May 27 in Lucknow. Related video: Ind V Pak: BCCI Suspends IPL, Strategic Move Amid Tensions? | First Sports With Rupha Ramani | N18G (Firstpost) This comes in the wake of the growing tensions between Current Time 0:06 / Duration 6:17 Firstpost Ind V Pak: BCCI Suspends IPL, Strategic Move Amid Tensions? | First Sports With Rupha Ramani | N18G 0 View on Watch View on Watch The revised schedule features 13 league games and the four playoff matches, and the May 8 match between Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings that was called off midway into the first innings will be played again on May 24 in Jaipur, which will be the temporary home base for PBKS. The Shreyas Iyer-led side will then take on the Mumbai Indians two days later at the same venue. The match was originally meant to be played in their second home base of Dharamsala on May 11. The change in venues also means that three teams – PBKS, CSK, and SRH – won’t get to play on their original home grounds anymore. While CSK and SRH are already out of the race for the playoffs, PBKS had two home matches scheduled at their second base, Dharamsala. With 15 points from 11 matches, PBKS were third on the points table before the tournament was suspended. The official release said the BCCI held “extensive consultations with government and security agencies, and with all the key stakeholders” before finalising the resumption of the tournament. The suspension of the IPL for more than a week has also pushed the final to June 3, which means it will now coincide with the entire ODI series between England and the West Indies running between May 29 in Birmingham and June 3 at The Oval. This also raises the question of the availability of the overseas players, with Romario Shepherd (RCB), Shamar Joseph (LSG), and Sherfane Rutherford (GT) already being named in the Windies squad, while England are yet to announce theirs. But in all likelihood, it could affect the chances of England’s white ball regulars, Jos Buttler (GT), Phil Salt (RCB), Jacob Bethell (RCB), Liam Livingstone (RCB), Will Jacks (MI), and Reece Topley (MI). The revised schedule also reduces the time of preparation for players from Australia and South Africa, set to clash in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, scheduled from June 11 at Lord’s. The players who are currently part of the IPL teams and are likely to be picked for the WTC final are Australia captain Pat Cummins and Travis Head (both SRH), Mitchell Starc and Tristan Stubbs (both DC), Josh Hazlewood (RCB), Marco Jansen and Josh Inglis (both PBKS), Aiden Markram (LSG), Kagiso Rabada (GT), Ryan Rickelton (MI), and Kwena Mphaka (RR). A Cricket Australia spokesperson said that the board has left it to the players to take a call on their continuation in the IPL ahead of the WTC final. “Following the announcement that the IPL will resume on Saturday, Cricket Australia will support players in their individual decisions whether to return to India or not,” a CA spokesperson said. “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,” the spokesperson added. From an Indian point of view, the IPL’s new schedule could also affect preparations of the England-bound India A players for the two unofficial Tests in Canterbury and Northampton. The tour was scheduled to start from May 30, and several fringe players, some of whom are hopefuls for the five-Test series against England, starting June 20, will now have to finish off their IPL duties before the A matches begin. As of now, the biggest challenge will be for the 10 IPL franchises, more specifically the ones hopeful for the top four slots, to bring back their foreign recruits, most of whom were packed off due to the security situation arising out of the recent conflict between India and Pakistan.