The eight South African cricketers in the World Test Championship (WTC) final squad will be heading back home on May 27, causing them to miss out on the IPL 2025 playoffs.
The eight cricketers, including Kagiso Rabada (Gujarat Titans), Aiden Markram (Lucknow Super Giants), and Marco Jansen (Punjab Kings), are set to join the rest of South Africa’s WTC final team on May 30 for their upcoming match against Zimbabwe on June 3 at Arundel.
CSA has successfully negotiated with the IPL for an early release of these players due to the significance of the WTC final, scheduled for June 11 at Lord’s against Australia.
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Remaining South African players, not involved in the WTC final, will continue to play in the IPL until its completion.
The upcoming match on May 17 marks the return of the IPL, following a brief suspension due to the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan. RCB is set to face KKR in the opening game, with Ngidi potentially joining the lineup if Hazlewood is unable to recover from his shoulder injury.
Among the seven teams with WTC-bound South African players, SRH has been eliminated from the running. GT has had to play most of the season without Rabada, their last match being against MI on March 29, and they are now on the cusp of securing a spot in the playoffs.
The departure of their South Africa contingent after the league stage will heavily impact MI. Rickelton has been MI’s second-highest run-getter with 336 runs in 12 innings, while Bosch has contributed useful cameos and bowled decently in his three appearances.
The news of Jansen’s departure will no doubt concern PBKS, as they require two victories in their remaining three games to secure a spot in the playoffs. With an impressive 11 wickets in just as many matches, Jansen holds the title of PBKS’ third-highest wicket-taker. On the other hand, Stubbs has solidified his role as DC’s designated finisher and currently stands as their third-highest run-scorer for the season with 259 runs in ten innings at a strike rate of 151.46.
LSG’s Markam has contributed 348 runs in 11 innings, making him their third-highest run-scorer to date. Despite this, LSG currently holds seventh place on the points table and is in dire need of winning all upcoming matches. However, it remains uncertain if that would be sufficient for them to secure a spot in the playoffs.
The league phase concludes on May 27, followed by the start of playoffs on May 29 and the ultimate showdown on June 3.
