Foreign players to head home as panic grips IPL 2025 amid ongoing India-Pakistan tensions

All IPL 2025 players, including overseas ones, will head home as teams prepare to chalk out travel plans for their respective squads. Hours after the BCCI suspended the ongoing edition of the cash-rich league for a week due to security concerns amid ongoing cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan, all ten IPL franchises are working on the logistics to ensure everyone reaches home safely.

Since most teams are away from their home IPL venues due to their schedules, the Indian players will head home sooner, while the foreign cricketers will also be flying out of the country. 

Considering the Punjab Kings-Delhi Capitals game at the HPCA stadium in Dharamsala was halted the other night due to security reasons, with the fans also asked to evacuate the venue, plenty of panic gripped the overseas players of all ten teams. 

Though the BCCI and the IPL vowed to arrange a special train or any mode of transport to help all players and staff members reach Delhi (since the Chandigarh airport is closed until further notice), the latest reports suggest that all stakeholders will assist them in reaching home safely.

"They will be heading back home; we will help with all the logistics, but every foreign player and members of the support staff will be headed back to their respective countries," an IPL official confirmed this development in a chat with Times of India (TOI). 

"Depending on what is decided in the future, a call will be taken on them returning for the league. But, as of now, they will be headed back home," the official continued. 

"All players will be headed back home, including the overseas players," another team official said.

While the Punjab and Delhi teams have returned from Dharamsala, the Mumbai Indians team has been in Ahmedabad since Thursday evening. Gujarat Titans were also in Delhi for their next scheduled game on Sunday (May 11), with Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru stationed in Lucknow for their Friday fixture. 

Although all players (from all teams) will try to disperse to their respective homes quickly, the MI squad will return to Mumbai first because all their players' luggage is parked in the team hotel.

Meanwhile, the BCCI secretary, Devajit Saikia, said,

"The decision was taken by the IPL Governing Council after due consultation with all key stakeholders following the representations from most of the franchisees, who conveyed the concern and sentiments of their players, and also the views of the broadcaster, sponsors and fans; while the BCCI reposes full faith in the strength and preparedness of our armed forces, the Board considered it prudent to act in the collective interest of all stakeholders."