Most foreign cricketers are expected to return to the Asian nation to play the remainder of the tournament.
After the IPL was suspended due to rising tensions in the region, only Jos Buttler and Gerald Coetzee of Gujarat Titans had left India. However, both are expected to rejoin the team before the tournament resumes under the revised schedule. This means the table-topping side will have a full-strength squad for the rest of the season.
The BCCI suspended the IPL for a week last Friday after tensions escalated along the Pakistan border. However, the neighboring countries agreed to a ceasefire the following day. With the situation improving, the IPL is set to resume this Saturday under a new schedule, with the final to be played on June 3.
Gujarat’s English star batter Buttler and South African pacer Coetzee will rejoin the team next Wednesday. Not just them—”most foreign cricketers are expected to return to the Asian nation” for the remaining matches.
The tournament will resume with a clash between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders. To keep their playoff hopes alive, sixth-placed KKR must win this crucial match.
Ahead of the must-win encounter, “Kolkata hopes to have almost all of its overseas players by Thursday morning.” Currently in Dubai are Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Rovman Powell, and team mentor Dwayne Bravo.
Afghan wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz is in Kabul and will join his West Indian teammates in Dubai before flying to India. South African pacer Anrich Nortje will travel directly from the Maldives to Bengaluru to join his squad.
There’s also a chance Moeen Ali and Spencer Johnson—who had flown to England and Australia respectively—will return soon. However, Quinton de Kock’s return is still uncertain.
Meanwhile, although Buttler and Coetzee left India, Gujarat retained several overseas players like Rashid Khan and Karim Janat from Afghanistan, Sherfane Rutherford from the West Indies, and Kagiso Rabada from South Africa.
There’s still uncertainty about Rutherford and Buttler being available for the final stretch of the IPL, as both are in the England vs West Indies ODI squads. That series starts on May 29 and ends on June 3—right when the IPL playoffs will take place.
Punjab Kings’ Xavier Bartlett, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Mitchell Owen have confirmed their return. But the availability of Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Josh Inglis, and Aaron Hardie remains uncertain. Inglis and Jansen are in their respective Test Championship final squads for Australia and South Africa.
Though all of Punjab’s foreign players had left India, most of the coaching staff stayed behind. Head coach Ricky Ponting and assistants Brad Haddin and James Hopes are still in the country. The franchise has asked all players and coaches to regroup within the next two days.
Sunrisers Hyderabad are already out of playoff contention. It was believed that Australia’s Pat Cummins and Travis Head, both named in the Test Championship final squad, wouldn’t return to India. But according to ESPNcricinfo, they are likely to play the remaining IPL matches. Hyderabad has three games left.
However, there is still no confirmation about the return of South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen and Wiaan Mulder, or Sri Lanka’s Asitha Malinga and Kamindu Mendis.
A total of 17 matches remain in the IPL, including 13 from the first phase. The remaining league matches will take place across six venues—Bengaluru, Jaipur, Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad. The playoff venues are yet to be announced.
The final league match will be played on May 27 between Lucknow Super Giants and Bengaluru. The first Qualifier is set for May 29, followed by the Eliminator on May 30, and the second Qualifier on June 1.
