Mitchell Johnson slams BCCI for ‘forcing’ overseas players to play remainder of IPL 2025

After suspending IPL 2025 for a week owing to escalating cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan, the BCCI announced its resumption with a revised schedule. Although unprecedented circumstances forced the Indian Cricket Board to halt the tournament midway, as the same goes for PCB for the Pakistan Super League (PSL), its resumption has sent the tournament logistics up for a toss. Former Australian seamer and two-time IPL winner Mitchell Johnson has slammed the BCCI for coercing foreign players to compete in the remainder of the tournament.

While IPL 2025 was supposed to end on May 25 earlier, the final date is now pushed back to the first week of June, complicating overseas players’ national and franchise commitments.

For instance, England and the West Indies will begin their white-ball series on May 29, the same day IPL 2025 playoffs get underway, and Australia and South Africa will face off in the WTC Final 2025 starting June 11 at the Lord’s. What these two series have done is tie up players picked to play for their national teams to decide on abiding by their IPL commitments. Cricket South Africa (CSA) decided against extending WTC Final-bound players’ NOCs, and Cricket Australia and the ECB decided on the same line.

However, those not featuring in any of the international series are back in India for the completion of IPL 2025.

While IPL 2025 resumes (in India), the PCB also decided to resume their premier T20 tournament on the same date. Several reports suggested that not all players were willing to turn up for their respective franchise teams across both competitions but were forced to avoid financial repercussions.

“While Cricket Australia has empowered players to make their own decisions, the weight of those choices can be heavy. Opting not to play could lead to disappointment or even professional and financial repercussions down the track, but prioritising safety is first and foremost,” Johnson wrote in his column for The Western Australian, as quoted by the Indian Express.

“If I had to make a call whether to head back to India and finish the tournament, it would be an easy decision. It’s a no from me. Lives and safety are the most important thing, not paying cheques.

“It’s a personal decision. No one should be coerced or feel pressured into going back, even if the IPL and Pakistan Super League, which has also been halted, push hard for it. Both tournaments should just end now or consider moving, which then becomes a huge financial issue,” Johnson wrote.

Logistical challenges

Although until Thursday (May 15) evening, all South African players were going to be part of IPL 2025 playoffs, CSA’s final call broke that notion, asking all WTC-Final-bound players to leave the tournament midway for the summit clash against Australia.

Also, several Australian players picked for the WTC Final have opted out against featuring for the remainder of the tournament, including seamer Mitchell Starc.

“With the IPL final now pushed back to June 3, just a week before the WTC final starts at Lord’s, the impact on players’ preparation for what is supposedly Test cricket’s showpiece match is another issue. South Africa appears to be taking a much harder line with their players than Australia, which is interesting given the financial ties between India and South Africa through the SA20 competition,” Johnson added.