IPL Suspended

The money-spinning Indian Premier League – the world’s richest cricket tournament – has been paused for a week amid escalating tensions with Pakistan. The 2025 season, which has been suspended mid-way due to security concerns, can reportedly resume after India’s five-Test tour of England. According to a report in The Times of India, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) might be open to the possibility of using a window earlier reserved for the men’s tour of Bangladesh and the 2025 Asia Cup to complete the remaining matches of the tournament.

The England Test series will begin on June 20, with the final Test to be held from July 31 to August 4. India is scheduled to tour Bangladesh between August 17 and 23 for three ODIs, though that tour was already under the scanner well before the ongoing tensions, due to strained relations between India and Bangladesh.

Twelve league matches and four knockout games are left to be played in the season. These were supposed to be completed in 17 days, but in a postponed window, the BCCI can squeeze in a few more double-headers to compress the remainder of the season under two weeks.

There could be a couple of issues with it, though. August generally sees monsoon in India, and hence the Men in Blue generally play away tours in this month. So, the BCCI might have to turn to countries like the UAE and South Africa, or others to organise the remaining matches.

Secondly, IPL windows generally don’t clash with other international bilateral series and T20 leagues (apart from the Pakistan Super League this year, which has also been moved) because cricketing boards of other countries consciously avoid it. Now, however, there are several series scheduled at the same time.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) suggested that it is working on planning a ‘new schedule and venues’ for the suspended IPL 2025 season in its official statement on Friday (May 9). (AGENCIES)