Cricket’s Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 (T20) tournament has been suspended for one week amid growing cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan.
The announcement was made today by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) governing body as the situation between the countries escalates.
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This comes a day after the Pakistan Super League (PSL) moved the remainder of its season to the UAE after a drone fell within the Rawalpindi Stadium complex just hours before a PSL match, which Pakistan claims was from India.
On Thursday, the IPL match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala was abandoned mid-match because of floodlight failure, with players, staff, and media set to be evacuated from the city, which lies close to the contested region of Kashmir.
An IPL statement read: “The remainder of the ongoing IPL 2025 is suspended with immediate effect for one week.
“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.
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By GlobalData“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.”
The IPL, the richest franchise T20 league in the world, had been set to run until May 25, with 16 games left to be played. The organizers will now face difficulties in concluding the season, as a period of around three weeks will be needed to do so.
After the week's suspension, the BCCI plans to discuss the situation with the government, the teams, and broadcasters and hopes to announce a new schedule to complete the tournament.
The BCCI will likely explore all options to complete the season, including the possibility of compressing the schedule with more doubleheaders – although this would appear unlikely as it would not be acceptable to broadcasters. There is also limited scope for rearrangement given other fixtures.
England’s upcoming test tour against India (June-August) means that the season will need to be completed by mid-June at the latest, presenting the BCCI with another dilemma.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed that the test series is expected to go ahead as planned.
The BCCI could be forced to follow in the footsteps of the PSL and relocate its remaining matches, although the UAE is now out as an option after the country hosted the 2020 and the second half of the 2021 seasons during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2009, the IPL was held in South Africa due to security concerns surrounding India's elections, but the country is unlikely to step in at short notice with its domestic season now concluded and grounds potentially not ready to host matches.
The tensions between India and Pakistan grew after India carried out missile strikes in Pakistan's Punjab province and Pakistan-administered parts of Kashmir.
Pakistani authorities say 31 people have been killed and 57 injured since the attack.
India explained the strikes were in retaliation for the terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22, in which at least 26 people were shot dead.
The situation escalated on Tuesday evening when India launched a series of strikes in a move named “Operation Sindoor”.
In the latest development, India accused Pakistan of attacking three of its military bases with drones and missiles overnight, a claim denied by Pakistan.
Without a significant improvement in the next week, a longer IPL suspension seems inevitable.
A prolonged suspension could also mean the Asia Cup national team tournament, as well as India’s warm-up series against Bangladesh, will be in doubt.
India is scheduled to host the Asia Cup, but this year’s edition would be in jeopardy if the country is forced to pull out.
The IPL also has several lucrative broadcast deals with major operators around the world that could be complicated.
But there is precedent from the Covid period that shows broadcast contracts will mean that the tournament will be completed.
In addition, overseas player availability may be in doubt depending on rescheduling, and players could pull out of The Hundred UK-based T20 competition (depending on the dates).
