A week-long suspension due to cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan is over. The 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) will resume on May 17 and conclude on June 3. The announcement came from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) late Monday night. The remaining 17 matches, including 13 league games and four playoffs, will be played in six venues: Bengaluru, Jaipur, Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad.
The revised schedule restarts with a clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Bengaluru on May 17. Two double-headers are set for Sundays. Rajasthan Royals (RR) face Punjab Kings (PBKS), and Delhi Capitals (DC) take on Gujarat Titans (GT) on May 18. The following Sunday, May 25, GT will play Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) meet KKR.
A key rescheduled fixture is the PBKS vs DC match. It was stopped midway on May 8. The game will be replayed on May 24 in Jaipur, PBKS’s temporary home base. PBKS will then face Mumbai Indians (MI) on May 26 at the same venue. This encounter replaces their original Dharamsala home fixture.
With CSK and SRH out of playoff contention and PBKS displaced from both home venues, the latter may feel shortchanged. Sitting third with 15 points from 11 games before the suspension, PBKS must chase a playoff spot from neutral grounds.
The playoff phase will begin with Qualifier 1 on May 29, the Eliminator on May 30, and Qualifier 2 on June 1. The final will be on June 3. Playoff venues are yet to be disclosed.
“The BCCI conducted extensive consultations with government and security agencies and with all key stakeholders,” the board said in its release, highlighting the logistical challenge of resuming the tournament.
The adjusted timeline also brings schedule conflicts. The England vs West Indies ODI series, running from May 29 to June 3, overlaps with the IPL playoffs. This can pull Romario Shepherd, Shamar Joseph, and Sherfane Rutherford away from their IPL franchises. England's Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, and Liam Livingstone may also face availability issues. The solution depends on national selections and their teams’ playoff qualification.
The delayed IPL finish leaves only seven days before the ICC World Test Championship final between Australia and South Africa begins on June 11 at Lord’s. Several IPL players like Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Kagiso Rabada, and Marco Jansen are expected to feature in that high-stakes Test.
Moreover, India’s A-team tour of England, beginning May 30, may be affected. Many fringe players will still be active in the IPL when the two-match unofficial Test series starts.
For now, all 10 IPL franchises will focus on reassembling squads and returning overseas personnel. GT may have an edge, with most of their players already training in Ahmedabad.