The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to resume the Indian Premier League (IPL) following the recent ceasefire agreement between New Delhi and Pakistan. 

The tournament was suspended last week due to clashes between the two neighboring countries. However, the BCCI said on Monday night it will resume matches from this Saturday, May 17 and the tournament will run through until June 3. 

The BCCI said in a statement late Monday that “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 remainder of the IPL matches will be played across six venues, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru will host defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday followed by one of two double-headers Sunday.

Jaipur, Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai and Ahmedabad are the other host cities for the remaining league phase matches.

The venues for the four play-off ties, including the final on 3 June, will be announced later.

The original hosts for the playoffs were Hyderabad and Kolkata, with the final at Eden Gardens on 25 May.

The first qualifier will now be on 29 May, followed by the eliminator on 30 May. The second qualifier is slated for 1 June and the final two days later.

The IPL was suspended for a week last Friday, a day after a match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals was abandoned in Dharamsala, less than 200 kilometres from the northern city of Jammu, where explosions were reported hours earlier.

A special train was arranged for players to return to Delhi on Friday as airspace was closed, while overseas stars began to head home on Saturday.

Cricket Australia (CA) meanwhile said in a statement on Tuesday that their players were shaken by the events that led to suspension of the 18th edition of the tournament. /”

As a result, the board has left it to the players to decide whether they want to return or not, even for the players who will have little time to prepare for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final against South Africa which starts just a week after the IPL 2025 final. 

“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 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.”

WTC-bound players

Australia’s WTC 2025 final-bound players in the IPL 2025 are Delhi Capitals’ (DC) Mitchell Starc, Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) Josh Inglis, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) Josh Hazlewood and Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) Pat Cummins and Travis Head. 

Hazlewood is unlikely to return to India as he picked up a shoulder injury. According to an Australian media outlet, Starc’s manager said that the left-arm pacer may also not return to India for the remainder of the tournament. 

Australian SRH players will have plenty of time to return and prepare for the WTC final as their last league match is on May 25. The finalists of the previous edition are already out of the playoffs race.

Fans across Afghanistan can meanwhile tune in to Ariana Television from Saturday to watch all the remaining matches live. Fans can also follow Ariana News and Ariana Television’s social media pages for updates, news and revised schedules.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council will reportedly meet today, Monday, May 12, over the resumption of IPL 2025.

According to Cricbuzz, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) might also announce the roadmap later in the day.

On Monday evening however, some Indian media outlets reported that the BCCI has informed the ten IPL franchises to call back all their foreign players, as a decision on the resumption of the 18th edition of the cash-rich league is coming soon.

However, no official announcement has yet been made by either the BCCI or the IPL council.

The last time the IPL was stopped midway through the tournament was during the COVID-19 pandemic. The IPL 2021 season, which kicked off in April, had to be suspended due to a national lockdown. The second half took place in the UAE later that year.

Speaking to local media after the decision to suspend the tournament Devajit Saikia said: “In the next few days, we will begin consultations with the franchises, broadcasters, sponsors and the state associations slated to host the remaining matches before crystallizing a decision on the league’s resumption.

“Given the importance of IPL at this juncture, it will also be prudent and necessary to take the nod of the Government of India before finalising the time for its restart.”

The board made the decision a day after calling off the Punjab Kings-Delhi Capitals match in Dharamsala due to security concerns.

The suspension however will have a stark impact on foreign players. Already a number of them have indicated that its unlikely that they will feature in the remaining games of the season.

Among those are Australian pacers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

Both players have already returned to Australia, and their participation in the remaining 12 league matches and the playoffs – if their franchises qualify – remains doubtful.

Australia captain Pat Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood’s colleague in the pace department, might not enjoy that luxury as he captains Sunrisers Hyderabad and his availability is crucial for the franchise.

While tensions have eased between New Delhi and Islamabad after the two countries agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday, India’s government is expected to wait for a few more days before giving the BCCI the go-ahead to resume the tournament.

With only 15 matches to go in the league stage of this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL 2025), seven teams are still in contention to make it to the playoffs, but no team has secured a place in the top four yet. 

According to ESPNcricinfo experts, here’s what each of these seven teams needs to do to qualify.

Royal Challengers Bangalore

RCB has played 11 matches, have 16 points and has three matches still to play. 

These matches are against LSG, SRH and KKR. 

The washout between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Delhi Capitals (DC) means that Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are now only one win away from securing their place in the playoffs. 

That’s because five teams can make it to 18 points only if at least a couple of teams get there due to two washouts. 

Since the number of wins is the first tie-breaker for teams on equal points, RCB will go through on the basis of nine wins. They can also make the top four with 16 points if other results go their way. 

However, two wins will not guarantee a top-two finish yet, as three teams can still finish with 20 or more points.

Punjab Kings

PBKS have so far also played 11 matches, and have 15 points. The still have three matches to play – against Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals. 

To be certain of qualification, Punjab Kings (PBKS) need to win a couple of games and move up to 19 points. If they win each of their three remaining games, they’ll be assured of a top-two finish. Two of their three remaining games are against teams in the top five, which makes those results extremely vital for PBKS.

Mumbai Indians

MI have so far also played 11 matches and are sitting with 14 points. They also still have three matches to play – against Gujarat Titans, Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals. 

With six wins in a row, Mumbai Indians (MI) are undoubtedly the form team of the tournament at the moment. Not only have they won six consecutive matches, they have done so by convincing margins – four of those victories have been by either 50-plus runs or by more than 25 balls to spare. 

That has helped lift their NRR to an enviable 1.274, easily the best among all teams. A couple of wins will guarantee a place in the playoffs, while 20 will likely ensure a top-two finish given their excellent NRR. 

For them to qualify with 16 points, several other results will need to go in their favour, but 14 won’t cut it anymore, since their three remaining games are against sides that are all in contention. Three defeats will take all those teams above MI, while RCB already have 16.

Gujarat Titans

The Titans have played only 10 matches so far and are sitting with 14 points. They have four matches still to play – against MI, DC, LSG and CSK. 

They have an excellent NRR of 0.867 – which is second only to MI’s. 

As with MI, Gujarat Titans also need at least a win to stay in contention, while two wins will guarantee qualification. 

However, they will be eliminated if they lose each of their four remaining games and stay on 14. They have a favourable itinerary too, with their last two games scheduled at home, where they have a formidable 4-1 record so far this season.

Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals have played 11 matches so far and have 13 points. They have three matches still to play – against PBKS, GT and MI. 

A lucky point against SRH halted a two-match losing sequence for DC and gave them a bit of a breather. 

Fifteen points will push them into the top four only if several other results go in their favour, while 17 could also place them at the mercy of other results – it’s still possible for six teams to finish on 17 or more points. 

Wins in all three remaining matches will ensure qualification, but that will require a huge reversal of form, given that they have only won one of their last five matches.

Kolkata Knight Riders

KKR has also played 11 matches and have three to go. They are sitting with 11 points. Their three remaining matches are against CSK, SRH, and RCB.

Fifteen points could give Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) an outside chance based on other results, but more realistically, they’ll need 17 to stay in contention. Even then, it could come down to other results and net run rates.

Lucknow Super Giants

LSG have 11 matches ticked off and have 10 points in total. They still need to play three matches – against RCB, GT and SRH. 

Like DC, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are also struggling for momentum, having lost three in a row, and four of their last five. 

The best they can do now is win their three remaining matches, finish on 16 points, and hope that a couple of in-form teams suffer a sudden reversal of fortunes. If they lose one more match, though, LSG will be eliminated. 

Tuesday’s match

Today, Tuesday May 6, will see Match 56 play out at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai when Mumbai Indians will take on Gujarat Titans. 

The match starts at 5:30 pm Kabul time and will be broadcast live and exclusively on Ariana Television across Afghanistan.