According to sources at ESPNcricinfo, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad are the top contenders to host the 16 remaining matches of IPL 2025 in May, should it be given approval by the Indian government to resume after its recent suspension on Friday. These three southern cities have been chosen as part of a contingency plan by the IPL.
Last Friday, the BCCI announced a one-week suspension of the IPL due to ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan. It remains uncertain if the BCCI has set a deadline for determining whether or not the IPL will resume in May.
Although the BCCI officials have taken proactive measures to ensure the preparedness of the three venues, they have also acknowledged the challenges that come with resuming the IPL amidst the current circumstances. On Friday, franchise officials were casually informed of this development and some team officials, as reported by ESPNcricinfo, suggested that the remaining matches may be postponed until a later date.
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One of the biggest obstacles for the BCCI in preparing for a May restart is persuading overseas players to come back. As soon as the suspension was declared, teams began to disperse and players hurriedly booked flights home. The majority of foreign players are likely to depart India by Saturday evening.
The franchises are hopeful that foreign players would continue to participate in the tournament if it resumes in late May. However, they acknowledged that there are uncertainties if the window is prolonged beyond May 25, which is when the IPL 2025 final was originally planned in Kolkata. This is due to prior commitments of some players and the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final between Australia and South Africa on June 11 at Lord’s.
By May 8, a total of 57 matches were completed in IPL 2025, with the ongoing match between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Delhi Capitals (DC) in Dharamsala being the 58th. However, after just 10.1 overs of play, it was called off. The decision on whether to replay the match has yet to be made by the IPL.
There are a total of 12 league matches left, followed by four playoffs. Initially, Hyderabad was designated to hold the first qualifier and eliminator, while Kolkata was set to host the second qualifier and final.
