RCB could miss Hazlewood and other overseas players: The IPL 2025 is set to resume on May 17 with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) taking on the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Bengaluru.
The tournament which was suspended for one week on May 9 due to the rising border tension between India and Pakistan will resume this Saturday.
The BCCI has revealed the revised schedule. The remainder of the 17 matches will be played across six venues – Bengaluru, Jaipur, Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad. Also, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) vs Delhi Capitals (DC) match, which was abandoned midway through the first innings on May 8 in Dharamsala, will be replayed, but it will be played in Jaipur.
The league matches will be completed on May 27. The playoffs will be played on the following dates: Qualifier 1 on May 29, the Eliminator on May 30, Qualifier 2 on June 1, and the final on June 3.
With the IPL 2025 now spilling into June, it’s very much possible that the teams could miss some of their overseas players for the playoffs due to international commitments.
The biggest loss could be to RCB, who could miss as many as five overseas players for the playoffs.
Will Josh Hazlewood return to IPL 2025?
Josh Hazlewood, who missed RCB’s last game due to a shoulder niggle, has been named in Australia’s squad for the ICC WTC Final against South Africa, which will start on June 11. Hence, it’s likely that Hazlewood will miss the playoffs, or even the rest of the tournament.
Also, Lungi Ngidi is expected to be named in South Africa’s squad for the WTC final. So he might also be unavailable for the playoffs for RCB.
RCB could miss Hazlewood, Ngidi, Shepherd, Bethell, Salt, Livingstone
Not only Hazlewood and Ngidi, butThe RCB could miss other key overseas stars as well, including Romario Shepherd, who recently blasted a 14-ball fifty against Chennai Super Kings, Phil Salt, Jacob Bethell, and Liam Livingstone as all of them could be picked for the England vs West Indies white-ball series that will now clash with the IPL 2025.
West Indies are scheduled to tour England for three ODIs and three T20Is, running from May 29 to June 10. The overseas players in the IPL had gotten NOC from their boards until June 25, the date of the final as per the original schedule. Unless these RCB players get special permission from their respective boards to skip the England vs West Indies matches, they will have to miss the IPL playoffs and even one league match.
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