On Sunday, members of the IPL Governing Council along with BCCI officials convened to finalise the roadmap for the league’s resumption
Cricket fans stand outside the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on May 9, after IPL 2025 was suspended for a week (Pic: AFP)
Following its suspension due to military tensions between India and Pakistan, the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 is now expected to resume on either May 16 or 17, with indications that the final may be shifted away from Kolkata.
The ceasefire declared on Saturday has cleared the path for the tournament’s continuation, after it was paused on May 9 for a duration of one week.
On Sunday, members of the IPL Governing Council along with BCCI officials convened to finalise the roadmap for the league’s resumption.
BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla confirmed that the board is currently in the process of drafting a revised schedule that accommodates the new circumstances.
"As of now there is no decision on IPL. BCCI officials are working out on the solutions. BCCI secretary, IPL Chairman are in talks with franchises and everyone, so very soon we will know about the decision, efforts are being made to resume the tournament early," Shukla told news agency PTI.
An IPL source said the league will resume with the match between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Lucknow, the game which was supposed to be played on May 9.
"All the teams have been asked to call back their players, the tournament will resume either on May 16 or 17 in Lucknow. The final schedule will be shared tomorrow (Monday)," a source told PTI.
"Most likely the matches will be held at four venues and Delhi and Dharamsala won't get to host more matches. All the equipment has already been removed from these venues," added the source.
The source also said that there won't be any change in the venue for Qualifier I and Eliminator that Hyderabad was supposed to host but Kolkata may miss out on hosting the final, most likely on June 1, due to rain forecast on that day in the city.
"As of now there is no change in venues for the play-off stage but it seems rain can affect the final in Kolkata. In that case the final could be played in Ahmedabad," said the source.
Speaking to PTI, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia added: "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 crystallizating to a decision on the league's resumption.
"Given that 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."
It is possible that both Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals will be awarded a point each after the match was abandoned midway through the first innings due to heightened tension between India and Pakistan, with Punjab having had raced to 122 for 1 in 10.1 overs.
The players were ferried in bus to Jalandhar in Punjab from where they travelled to Delhi by train.
If only four venues are chosen to host the remaining 16 games then Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians will miss out on their home games.
It means the remainder of the tournament will be restricted to Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Lucknow.
CSK, RR and SRH are already out of the reckoning and the battle for sealing the four play-offs spots is among seven teams.
Gujarat Titans as of now are leading the table with 16 points and superior NRR of 0.793, followed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (16 points, 0.482), Punjab Kings (15), Mumbai Indians (14), Delhi Capitals (13), Kolkata Knight Riders (11) and Lucknow Super Giants (10)
(With inputs from PTI)
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