BCCI prepares three draft schedules for IPL 2025; all foreign players unlikely to honour commitments - Report

The Indian Cricket Board has prepared three draft schedules for the resumption of IPL 2025, suspended last Friday (May 9) over security concerns. Due to escalating cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan, the BCCI put the tournament on hold, suspending all proceedings for one week on precautionary grounds.

Since India and Pakistan have agreed to an understanding, the IPL Governing Council and BCCI are working on resuming the 18th edition by this week.
Per the latest report, the BCCI management has three drafts ready to be discussed before going public about the IPL 2025 resumption. A Cricbuzz report reads that the IPL Governing Council will meet on Monday afternoon (May 12) to finalise the roadmap for the league’s restart, with the final announcement expected the same evening.

The schedule would see 16 matches, including four playoff games, played out across a selected window starting expectedly Friday (May 16).

What's up with three drafts?

Meanwhile, of the three prepared drafts, one would include the traditional home-and-away format across all venues, barring possibly Dharamsala, and the remaining two could see more doubleheaders in a reduced window and venues, all confined to South in Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai. However, per Cricbuzz, none of the three state associations have received a formal word from the BCCI.

The earlier reports also suggested that the IPL has asked all teams to assemble their squads by Tuesday (May 13), including arranging a return flight for all overseas players who left the country. While almost all foreign players were home upon leaving India last Friday, those who decided to stay put in India, including the ones in Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians camps, are ready to kick proceedings in the remainder of IPL 2025.

That, however, is not the case with everyone as several continue to contemplate honouring their IPL commitments, including WTC-bound Australian players like Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood (out with an injury), Pat Cummins and Travis Head. Although Head and Cummins are part of the team (SRH) that failed to qualify for the playoffs, giving them extra days to prepare for the WTC Final starting June 11 at Lord’s, Starc’s absence could hurt Delhi Capitals, who stay afloat in the playoff race.

On the other hand, Gujarat Titans (GT) became the first team to resume training following the IPL 2025 suspension, hitting the ground running at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday evening. Though almost all players were available for the training session, the overseas duo of Jos Buttler and seamer Gerald Coetzee were absent as they were back home.