Clear path for IPL 2025 to resume next week as India-Pakistan ceasefire takes shapes

In a positive development from the subcontinent, India and Pakistan have reached a ceasefire after days of heightened hostility. A sequence of events was triggered after tourists in Pahalgam were brutally murdered by terrorists sponsored by Pakistan. India completed a retaliation by launching 'Operation Sindoor', annihilating nine terrorist base camps in Pakistan. However, the erratic neighbor took aim at civilians in India as the tension blew volatile until May 8. With a war-like situation among the neighbours, IPL 2025 was suspended for a week on Friday. However, now as the India-Pakistan ceasefire has taken shape, the governing council is intent on resuming the season as soon as possible.

India-Pakistan ceasefire clears the way for IPL 2025 to resume timely

India was jolted by the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, where 27 tourists were brutally killed. A swift retaliation led to conflict with Pakistan, a nation known to harbor terrorism. The hostility reached a peak when Pakistan started drone attacks on the night of May 8, Thursday. Meanwhile, the PBKS vs DC IPL 2025 match had to be abandoned midway as tensions escalated. The match was held at Dharamsala, just 80 kilometers away from the border, which was heated at the time. The venue was evacuated swiftly as Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals shared the points from the fixture.

The next day, ahead of the LSG vs RCB match, the governing council announced the suspension of IPL 2025 for a week amid the heightened security risks. Meanwhile, the Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals players and all the stakeholders in Dharamsala after the match were evacuated safely from the region by train. As the India-Pakistan conflict grew volatile, the chances of IPL 2025 resuming within just a week seemed bleak.

Discussions were rife that the remainder of IPL 2025 could be shifted to another window, later in August or September. With India and Pakistan at loggerheads, the 2025 Asia Cup faces the likeliness of being scrapped off. That window, meanwhile, could have been used by the BCCI to conduct the remainder of the IPL season. Moreover, the ECB also offered help to host the remaining season if issues persisted in the subcontinent.

However, in an earlier update on Saturday, it was informed that the BCCI has shortlisted Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad as the only venues to host the remaining matches. While the board awaited a nod from the government, the situation improved. After a dialogue between India and Pakistan in the afternoon, the nations reached a ceasefire. The de-escalation means there would be no exchange of fire unless instigated.

The situation now stands cleared and IPL 2025 has the chance to resume without any further risks. Thus, it remains possible for the season to kick off timely. The head of the IPL governing council, Arun Dhumal, talked about planning to restart the season. At the time of suspension, IPL 2025 had 12 league stage matches left to be played before the playoffs. It's still not clear if PBKS vs DC would be played again or if IPL 2025 will resume with the LSG vs RCB match.

“Ceasefire has just been announced. We now explore the possibility of resuming and concluding the IPL. If it is possible to conduct it immediately... we need to work out the venue dates and everything," Dhumal said in his latest statement following the India-Pakistan ceasefire.

Can foreign picks return in time for IPL 2025 before it commences next week?

There remains a catch in the timely conduction of IPL 2025. Following the suspension, the foreign players went swiftly on their way to their respective countries. English players, the likes of Jacob Bethell and Jos Buttler, in fact, started looking for their ways to leave India on Thursday itself, before the suspension was announced on Friday. On Saturday, the likes of RCB, LSG, MI, and KKR confirmed that their foreign contingent had left for their respective nations. Now, it remains to be seen if the foreign prospects can return in time if IPL 2025 resumes next week.

At the time of suspension, Gujarat Titans sat at the top of the points table with 16 points in 11 matches. Meanwhile, Punjab Kings sat on the verge of qualification. The Shreyas Iyer-led team would have crossed the mark if the PBKS vs DC match had not been abandoned in Dharamsala. Now, Delhi Capitals, along with Lucknow Super Giants, remain in contention to qualify for the IPL 2025 playoffs. Royal Challengers Bengaluru, moreover, is poised as one of the main contenders for a Top 2 finish.