Due to the rising tension between India and Pakistan, the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 has been temporarily put on hold. In response to the uncertainty, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has offered to help by hosting the remaining IPL matches in England.
The IPL was paused for a week after the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) announced the suspension on Friday. This decision came after the Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals match in Dharamsala was called off late Thursday night. The match was stopped because of a blackout and air raid alerts in nearby areas, including Pathankot, which is only 90 km from the stadium.
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To ensure the safety of players and staff, BCCI arranged a special train to move the teams from Dharamsala to Delhi, and then helped them return to their homes. Many foreign players were reportedly worried due to the growing border tensions, and the sudden cancellation of the match made things worse. However, no cricket board officially told players to leave; BCCI officials stayed in touch with everyone involved.
In the midst of this situation, ECB chief executive Richard Gould reached out to BCCI, offering to host the rest of the IPL season — 17 matches including playoffs — in England this September. This could work, as there might be an open window in the international cricket calendar then. Although India was supposed to host the Asia Cup at that time, it may not happen due to the ongoing crisis.
BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia said, “We will announce updates on the new schedule and venues after a full review of the situation with the authorities and other partners.”
The cricket world now waits for the next steps to see where and when IPL 2025 will resume.
