IPL and PSL 2025 Suspended Amid Big Indo-Pak War! What Next?
The increased political conflict between India and Pakistan resulted in the suspension of the ongoing campaigns of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Pakistan Super League (PSL) in 2025.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) suddenly announced on May 09 (Friday) to suspend the remaining fixtures of IPL 2025 for a week.
On the same day, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that it would relocate the remainder of PSL 2025 to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This decision comes after the foreign players expressed their willingness to relocate the league to the UAE during an emergency meeting with the PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi in Islamabad on May 08.
When was the Last Time IPL Was Halted Midway?
The last time IPL was stopped midway through the season was back in May 2021 due to repeated bio-bubble breaches and increased COVID-19 cases among team staff members and players. As a consequence, the tournament’s 14th season restarted in September 2021, with remaining matches relocated to the UAE.
Why is IPL 2025 suspended for a week?
The suspension of IPL 2025 comes after the 58th match between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Delhi Capitals (DC) was abandoned on Thursday evening due to the government-mandated power outage following the blackouts in northern India due to air raid attacks.
Initially, the broadcasters blamed the floodlight failure at the HPCA stadium in Dharamshala. The match ended abruptly when Punjab reached 122/1 in 10.1 overs.
It was reported that Pakistan sent drones and missiles to attack the military bases in Jammu and India’s western border. However, the Indian air defense system successfully prevented the attacks. Due to this, emergency safety measures were passed across Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, and Rajasthan.
The good news is that spectators were moved out of the stadium safely. Due to the airports being shut down for safety reasons, BCCI arranged a special train to relocate players, staff members of both PBKS and DC, along with the broadcasters, to Delhi.
Why is PSL 2025 postponed?
The rising India-Pakistan border tensions have caused the situation to worsen than ever before, which prompted the PCB to postpone the PSL 2025 by following instructions from the Pakistan prime minister, Shahbaz Sharif.
Before planning to move the remaining season to the UAE, the 27th match of PSL 2025 between Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi was abandoned after a drone fell near the Rawalpindi Stadium complex on Thursday, May 08.
Here’s what the Board said: “Yes! Considering the mental fitness of participating players and the emotions of our overseas cricketers, we respect the worried feelings of their families who are waiting to see them return home.
The PCB acknowledges the efforts and support of its partners, franchises, broadcasters, organizers, sponsors, and the participants who have contributed their best for the smooth progress of the tournament. As cricket is a bonding force and source of celebration, it is important to take a gentle pause,” the PCB stated.
UAE Refuses to Host PSL 2025
One of the closest sources to the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) revealed that the UAE is unlikely to host the remainder of PSL 2025 fixtures due to the escalating Indo-Pak military tensions. Also, the ECB’s strong bond with the BCCI in recent years, having staged the previous editions of IPL in 2014, 2020, and 2021. In addition, the Emirates hosted India’s matches in the key ICC tournaments such as the T20 World Cup 2021 and the Champions Trophy 2025.
IPL and PSL 2025 Remaining Fixtures After Suspension
IPL and PSL 2025 were suspended with a few league stage matches remaining before the playoffs. Also, the overseas cricketers participating in both tournaments were mandated to return to their home nations.
With 16 more games left (league stage matches: 12, and playoffs: 4), the 18th season of the IPL, as per the earlier schedule, was supposed to be concluded on May 25, one week after the completion of the PSL 2025 final on May 18.
In contrast, the 10th edition of PSL is left with 8 fixtures (league stage matches: 4 and playoffs: 4).
Will IPL 2025 and PSL 2025 Restart Soon After Ceasefire?
Following a ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan on May 10 (Saturday) at 5 pm IST,
the IPL and PSL 2025 are likely to start again, with the latest schedule yet to be revealed officially.
BCCI Plans to Restart IPL 2025 Soon
The BCCI might opt for alternative plans for the smooth resumption of the league, rather than relocating the matches outside India.
Suppose the ceasefire lowers the conflict between India and Pakistan, the league might restart after one week of suspension (probably after May 16 or 17) by returning to the earlier scheduled venues.
If not, the BCCI has come up with a unique strategy to limit upto two or three hosting venues like Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai. This simplifies the traveling of players, team staff, and the broadcast group.
However, the overseas players have left India to prevent themselves from getting trapped in a war-like situation. While some foreigners travelled to the UAE to stay in proximity to the nation, if the tournament restarts sooner, which now seems to be highly possible.
Currently, there is no guarantee that all the overseas cricketers will be able to return to India if the tournament continues in May 2025.
PCB’s Latest Plans to Restart PSL 2025
After the UAE declined PCB offers to host PSL 2025, there were speculations that the league might be shifted to Oman or Qatar.
However, the remaining matches of PSL 2025 will likely be played in Rawalpindi as the exact dates are yet to be confirmed. The PSL administration officially reported that the discussions with franchises are going on to resume the tournament as soon as possible.
However, foreign cricketers are refraining from entering Pakistan due to security threats. This is because most of them particularly the Australians and Kiwi cricketers fled from the nation by boarding the chartered flights, but the names are not revealed as of now.
