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BCCI Sets Date for IPL 2025 Restart and Final Expectation
After the week-long pause owing to the increased geopolitical tensions, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is apparently planning to revive the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 tournament on May 16th. BCCI insiders indicate that the last match of the tournament should now be conducted around May 30th, a slight postponement from the initially planned May 25th date.
BCCI Revamps IPL Fixture Amidst Time Crunch
The unplanned break in the IPL schedule compelled the BCCI to quickly plan a revised schedule to facilitate the completion of the remaining matches within a condensed period. The board is considering hosting the remaining IPL matches, including 12 league matches and playoffs, in a few select venues, primarily in Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. Earlier plans involved other cities, but logistical and security issues have brought about the consolidation of venues.
To fit into a tight schedule and see that the tournament concludes without any additional delay, the BCCI would impose additional double-headers on the updated fixture schedule. That involves teams playing two matches in the same day, a feature routinely applied to franchise cricket tournaments constrained by time.
BCCI Finalizes Revised IPL Schedule
The suspension also resulted in the exit of various overseas players who had traveled back to their homelands. The BCCI has instructed the franchises to arrange for their foreign group to return to India by Tuesday, May 13th, to be ready to play when the expected resumption takes place on Friday, May 16th. This quick rebuilding of squads poses a challenge in terms of logistics for the franchises.
In addition, the fate of the earlier suspended match between Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings is still uncertain. Reports indicate that BCCI favors a complete replay of the match, while Punjab Kings could request the game to be restarted from the stage at which it was suspended. A ruling on this is likely to be made when the full revised schedule is announced.
The BCCI is likely to send the entire revised schedule to all IPL franchises tonight. While efforts are centered on restarting the tournament smoothly, the board will also need to maneuver in terms of handling possible problems on the ground regarding player availability, logistical arrangements, and broadcast planning within the shortened window. The government's approval will also be final in deciding the resumption and the revised schedule under the changed circumstances.