A lot has happened in the last few days, with India and Pakistan currently going through a military conflict. During the IPL 2025 clash between PBKS and DC on Thursday in Dharamsala, the action was suspended prematurely, after a legit security threat. And subsequently, the tournament was suspended altogether, for a week, keeping in mind, the safety of all involved.
Now, that means the date of the final, which was May 25 earlier, would well be pushed into June. And that leaves some of the franchises, and the foreign players in bit of a lurch. June 11 is when the WTC final between Australia and South Africa starts, and both nations would want their players to be back for the final, at least a week prior, in England.
Which now in turn means, that the likes of RCB, GT, PBKS, MI and DC — the teams in contention for playoffs, might miss the services of their top foreign players. InsideSport looks at the potential impact on the one week suspension of IPL 2025, on these teams.
GT (Gujarat Titans) Scenario
Remaining Fixtures: vs DC (A), vs LSG (H), vs CSK (H)
Position: 1st – 11 matches, 16 points, NRR +0.867
Probability: ~95%
Australian & South African Players in GT
Kagiso Rabada, Gerald Coetzee.
Impact on GT (2/10)
GT have three games left, and are almost through to the playoffs. But what could pose a problem to them is Kagiso Rabada and Gerald Coetzee might not be available for the business end of the tournament, given the IPL restarts from say, May 17 or 18. On the flipside, the team hasn’t been dependent on these two for results. They have two wickets each so far.
In short, the absence of these players, depending on their selection for the WTC final, will not impact GT’s Chances in anyway.
RCB (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) Scenario
Remaining Fixtures: vs LSG (A), vs SRH (H), vs KKR (H)
Position: 2nd – 11 matches, 16 points, NRR +0.482
Probability: ~95%.
Australian & South African Players in RCB
Josh Hazlewood, Tim David, Lungi Ngidi
Impact on GT (7/10)
RCB is almost through to the playoffs as well, but their biggest headache will be the availability of Aussie pacer Josh Hazlewood. He has been one of the best bowlers in IPL 2025, bagging 18 wickets in 10 matches, at an economy of 8.44. There has been no one close to his exploits in the team; and his absence could just cost RCB their maiden trophy.
PBKS (Punjab Kings) Scenario
Remaining Fixtures: vs MI (H), vs RR (A)
Position: 3rd – 11/12 matches, 15/16 points, NRR +0.376
Probability: ~90%
Australian & South African Players in PBKS
Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Marco Jansen, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Xavier Bartlett.
Impact on PBKS (4.5/10)
For starters, it isn’t clear, if the match is suspended or will be played again. That could be decisive in them making it to the playoffs, but the deal is sealed more or less. Anyways, they do have a few SA and AUS players, out of which Marco Jansen could be the only one, who could play the WTC final. He is a vital cog for PBKS, and has 11 wickets in 12 matches so far. Apart from that he is a handy bat and has scored 75 runs too.
MI (Mumbai Indians) Scenario
Remaining Fixtures: vs PBKS (A), vs DC (H)
Position: 4th – 12 matches, 14 points, NRR +1.274
Probability: ~70%
Australian & South African Players in MI
Ryan Rickelton, Reece Topley, Lizaad Williams
Impact on MI (5/10)
MI are close to making it to the playoffs, but they are challenged by DC at fifth spot. While the playoffs qualification for the other three teams in almost done, that can’t be said for sure, about Mumbai. And if Ryan Rickelton goes, their team will surely be short of a dependable batter. Mind you, he has scored 336 runs in 12 matches in the season, and was scoring when Rohit Sharma was failing. He adds value as a wicket-keeper too.
DC (Delhi Capitals) Scenario
Remaining Fixtures: vs GT (H), vs MI (A)
Position: 5th – 11/12 matches, 13/14 points, NRR +0.362
Probability: ~50%
Australian & South African Players in DC
Tristan Stubbs, Mitchell Starc, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Faf du Plessis
Impact on DC (5.5/10)
So, as discussed, it is not clear which was PBKS vs DC match goes, but going forward in the tournament, if the likes of Tristan Stubbs and Mitchell Starc are not available for Delhi, they might just suffer hugely on that account. In 12 matches, Stubbs has scored 259 runs, at an average of 51. On the other hand, Starc has picked up 14 wickets in as many matches. If the situation arises, the team might not have decent replacements for them.
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