The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced that the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will resume on May 17, with the final scheduled for June 3. The tournament, which was suspended on May 9 due to escalating cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan, will now be played across six venues: Bengaluru, Jaipur, Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad.
A total of 17 matches remain in the competition, including 13 league fixtures and four playoff games. The playoff schedule is as follows: Qualifier 1 on May 29, Eliminator on May 30, Qualifier 2 on June 1, and the final on June 3. The venues for these knockout matches will be announced in due course.
The tournament will resume with a match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Bengaluru. Two double-header Sundays are scheduled: on May 18, Rajasthan Royals (RR) will face Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the afternoon, followed by Delhi Capitals (DC) vs Gujarat Titans (GT) in the evening. On May 25, GT will take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Ahmedabad, followed by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) against KKR in Delhi.
Among the key schedule changes, the abandoned PBKS vs DC match from May 8 in Dharamsala will now be replayed on May 24 in Jaipur, which becomes PBKS’s temporary home ground. PBKS will also play Mumbai Indians (MI) in Jaipur on May 26, instead of their original home venue. The final league match will be contested between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and RCB on May 27 in Lucknow.
Due to the revised venue allocations, three teams—PBKS, CSK, and SRH—will no longer play at their original home grounds. With CSK and SRH already eliminated from playoff contention, PBKS, who were third on the table with 15 points from 11 matches before the suspension, find themselves at a disadvantage.
The BCCI emphasized that the new schedule was finalized after extensive consultations with government authorities, security agencies, and key stakeholders. Originally set to conclude on May 25 in Kolkata, the tournament’s extension now overlaps with several international commitments.
The updated schedule clashes with the ODI series between England and West Indies, set to begin on May 29. This overlap may affect West Indies players such as Romario Shepherd (RCB), Shamar Joseph (LSG), and Sherfane Rutherford (GT), who have been named in the West Indies ODI squad. English players potentially impacted—depending on playoff qualifications—include Jos Buttler (GT), Phil Salt, Jacob Bethell, Liam Livingstone (all RCB), Will Jacks, and Reece Topley (both MI).
Additionally, the IPL final now falls just seven days before the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final between Australia and South Africa at Lord’s, starting June 11. Several IPL players are expected to feature in that match, including Pat Cummins and Travis Head (SRH), Mitchell Starc and Tristan Stubbs (DC), Josh Hazlewood (RCB), Marco Jansen and Josh Inglis (PBKS), Aiden Markram (LSG), Kagiso Rabada (GT), Ryan Rickelton (MI), and Kwena Mphaka (RR).
The new IPL timeline may also disrupt India A’s tour of England, which begins May 30 with two unofficial Tests in Canterbury and Northampton. Several players expected to be part of that tour are currently engaged in IPL duties and may miss the early matches.
Franchises now face the logistical challenge of reassembling squads and recalling overseas players and support staff. GT, leading the points table, may face fewer difficulties, having retained most of their squad in Ahmedabad, with only Jos Buttler and Gerald Coetzee having returned home. MI may also benefit from the revised schedule, as their first post-resumption fixture is on May 21, allowing additional preparation time.
