Rescheduled IPL will now see its decider played just a week before the WTC final
Players face decisions as IPL to resume after ceasefire
The Indian Premier League is to resume this weekend leaving the many Australians involved with decisions to make.
Cricket's richest competition, which was suspended on Friday May 9 amid fighting between India and Pakistan, will resume on Saturday May 17 (local time) following the announcement of a ceasefire between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
A number of Australians are involved as players, coaching staff and commentators and most have left India, returning home over the weekend.
Now they must decide whether they are able, and wish to, return. Many were shaken by events leading to the postponement and several have other commitments.
Most notable of these is the World Test Championship final against South Africa, which starts at Lord's on June 11, barely a week after the rescheduled IPL final on June 3.
"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."
The IPL still has 13 group matches left, including the fixture between Ricky Ponting's Punjab Kings and Mitch Starc's Delhi Capitals, which was called off during in the first innings on May 8 as air-raid sirens wailed nearby.
The match that will resume the tournament will be played between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders on May 17 in Bengaluru, one of six venues set to host the remaining regular-season games.
Josh Hazlewood plays for RCB, but has been nursing a shoulder injury and missed their most recent match. He is expected to be fit for Lord's.
Besides Hazlewood and Starc, four other possible Australian WTC players are in IPL teams: skipper Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Josh Inglis and Mitch Starc.
Cummins and Head play for Sunrisers Hyderabad who are out of play-off contention even though they have three matches remaining but Inglis' Punjab, Starc's Delhi, as well as Mitch Marsh's Lucknow Super Giants remain in the frame.
Other high-profile Australians involved include Justin Langer, coach at Lucknow, Ponting's assistant Brad Haddin, Chennai batting coach Mike Hussey, and commentators Matthew Hayden and Shane Watson.
Ponting and Haddin are understood to have remained in India.
"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," India's cricket board (BCCI) said in a statement.
The Pakistan Super League, which includes David Warner among the participants, is also expected to announce a resumption imminently, though many of the overseas players are reported to be unlikely to return, in part due to other commitments.
India and Pakistan have clashed after a deadly attack in the troubled region of Kashmir last month, but a US-mediated cease-fire appears to have held in recent days.
Australians at IPL 2025
Chennai Super Kings: Nathan Ellis ($365k)
Delhi Capitals: Mitch Starc ($2.15m), Jake Fraser-McGurk ($1.65m)
Kolkata Knight Riders: Spencer Johnson ($510k)
Lucknow Super Giants: Justin Langer (coach), Mitch Marsh ($623k)
Punjab Kings: Ricky Ponting (coach), Marcus Stoinis ($2m), Glenn Maxwell ($770k), Mitch Owen ($550k), Josh Inglis ($475k), Aaron Hardie ($228k), Xavier Bartlett ($146k)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Josh Hazlewood ($2.29m), Tim David ($547k)
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Pat Cummins ($3.7m), Travis Head ($1.2m), Adam Zampa ($440k)
2025 IPL standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
KXI
|
14 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0.372 | 0 | 19 |
|
2
RCB
|
14 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0.301 | 0 | 19 |
|
3
GUT
|
14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.254 | 0 | 18 |
|
4
MI
|
14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1.142 | 0 | 16 |
|
5
DEL
|
14 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0.011 | 0 | 15 |
|
6
SUN
|
14 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 1 | -0.241 | 0 | 13 |
|
7
LSG
|
14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | -0.376 | 0 | 12 |
|
8
KKR
|
14 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 2 | -0.305 | 0 | 12 |
|
9
RAJ
|
14 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | -0.549 | 0 | 8 |
|
10
CSK
|
14 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | -0.647 | 0 | 8 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points