“With immediate effect for one week,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia announced in a statement Friday afternoon that the IPL 2025 would be suspended. Following the cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan, the decision was made.
“Further updates regarding the new schedule and venues of the tournament will be announced in due course after a comprehensive assessment of the situation in consultation with relevant authorities and stakeholders,” Saikia stated in the statement. “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; 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.”
Following a call with senior BCCI executives, including Saikia and IPL chairman Arun Dhumal, the decision was made to postpone the IPL. Prior to the announcement being released at 2.40 p.m. IST, all franchises were notified of the suspension. Players and support personnel are reportedly catching the earliest flights out of and within India as the teams have already begun disbanding.
It is believed that everyone on the conversation concurred that the present climate made it inappropriate to continue the IPL.
The announcement was made a day after the IPL opted to call off Thursday’s match between the Delhi Capitals (DC) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the middle of the first innings. The players and support personnel of PBKS and DC travelled a bus from Dharamshala to Jalandhar and then a train to Delhi because the airports in Dharamsala and the surrounding areas were closed.
Even with the Dharamsala abandonment, IPL 2025 is now 58 games old. Twelve games remain in the group stage before the playoffs begin. The next window may only be in September, when India does not have a bilateral series scheduled, but it is the Asia Cup window. This is if the IPL cannot restart anytime soon, as India’s five-Test series in England begins on June 20.
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