IPL 2025: BCCI ask teams to recall Overseas stars by Tuesday, eyes May 25 Final- Report

The Indian Premier League 2025 could be back on as early as next week. After a brief suspension due to escalating border tensions between India and Pakistan, the BCCI has now asked all teams to recall their overseas players by Tuesday, aiming to wrap up the season with the final on May 25, as originally planned.

 

According to reports in The Indian Express, franchises have been told to get their squads back in place, especially the foreign players who flew out as soon as the tournament was paused. Only the Punjab Kings are still waiting on confirmation for their new venue, while the rest of the teams have been given the green signal to start assembling.

 

“All franchises have been told to inform their team to report to their respective destination by Tuesday. Punjab will have a neutral venue, so their destination is yet to be confirmed. The board is planning to have more double headers so that they can finish the IPL as per its scheduled day,” a BCCI source told the Indian Express.

 

With the India-Pakistan ceasefire in place since Saturday evening, the board is now moving quickly to get the tournament back on track. The original schedule had the IPL final on May 25, and that’s still the plan, but now, it might be a tighter race to the finish.

 

 

More double-headers are expected, and some venues could be shuffled around. Dharamsala, which hosted the abandoned Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals game last week, might lose out due to travel constraints and an airport shutdown.

BCCI confident of May 25 final

 

With only 16 more- 12 league games and 4 playoff matches to go, the board is trying to convince overseas stars that security has been ramped up and it’s safe to return. 

 

 

Players like Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, Phil Salt and Gerald Coetzee had flown out after the pause, but many, especially from the Gujarat Titans, are expected to return soon. For GT, only Buttler and Coetzee had left, and efforts are on to bring them back quickly.

 

The BCCI has reportedly shortlisted Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad as main venues for the restart, though final calls will be made after a meeting with franchise owners, broadcasters and government officials. Lucknow, Delhi, Kolkata, Jaipur and Ahmedabad are also still in the mix for the remaining league matches.

 

The play-offs are set to be split between Kolkata and Hyderabad, with Eden Gardens still on course to host the final. However, a revised fixture list is expected to drop after internal consultations are done early next week.

 

Apart from the IPL’s tight window, there’s also pressure from upcoming international tours. England’s white-ball series against West Indies kicks off on May 29, and Australia and South Africa will be prepping for the WTC Final in June. So stretching beyond May 25 isn’t really an option.

 

Now it’s all eyes on Tuesday. If the overseas stars make it back in time, IPL 2025 could be back in full swing by next weekend.