IPL set to restart as England stars scramble to return after ceasefire

IPL teams started to recall all of their overseas players, including England stars already on their way home, on Saturday night after the Indian cricket board announced plans to restart the tournament.

The news came only hours after a ceasefire was announced between India and Pakistan following a conflict that had forced a postponement of the tournament. The aim is to resume matches on Friday.

The board’s request left the ten teams scrambling to call back overseas players and coaching staff. Some who were contacted while on flights home have already committed to return. They may not get back to India for a few days, but the plan is to be there by Thursday at the latest. Others were only hours from boarding flights, with the last expected to leave on Sunday.

Among those English players who had already left were Jos Buttler, of Gujarat Titans, and Jacob Bethell and Phil Salt, of Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Bethell plays in Bangalore, one of the venues mooted as homes for the remaining games for security reasons SURJEET YADAV/MB MEDIA/GETTY IMAGES

The next 48 hours will be crucial as the Indian board will need to convince players, especially those from overseas, that whichever venues are now used are safe, and that there is visibly greater security in place. The future of the tournament still hangs in the balance.

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A total of 16 matches, including four knockout games, remain to be played. The original schedule had these games spanning just over two weeks but attempts may be made to compress that time frame. It is thought that most Australian players, many of whom had already left, will not go back.

The Mumbai Indians, the most powerful franchise, gave an early commitment that they were ready to resume and that all their players would be available. The franchise is owned by Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest man, and a recent investor in the Oval Invincibles.

Ambani’s Reliance Industries holds exclusive broadcast rights to the tournament and analysts at Elara Capital had estimated that failure to complete the tournament could cost about 30 to 40 per cent of broadcast revenue. The rights are worth $1.2billion a year.

The close political ties between the Indian board and the India government suggests that the cricket authorities would not have contemplated a resumption without informal government backing. Some venues may be changed for security reasons, with more southerly cities such as Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad mooted as homes for the remaining games.

Ambani, whose Reliance Industries holds exclusive broadcast rights to the tournament, is keen for matches to resume to avoid a huge financial loss PANKAJ NANGIA/GETTY

The tournament was suspended shortly after a match on Thursday in Dharamsala, near the border with Pakistan, between Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings was abandoned after 10.1 overs following reports of attacks on a nearby airport. The teams were forced to evacuate to Delhi via bus and train. It is unclear if that match will be replayed.

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Completing the IPL as close to its originally scheduled finish of May 25 is important as overseas players have other commitments. England, who play a Test against Zimbabwe from May 22 to 25, start a white-ball series against West Indies on May 29. Other England players at the IPL include Jofra Archer, Liam Livingstone and Jamie Overton. Australia and South Africa will be preparing for the world Test championship final at Lord’s starting on June 11.

Meanwhile the ECB is reviewing its contingency plans, in part in discussion with the Indian cricket board, to provide additional security for the India team around the five Tests against England between June 20 and August 4 in light of the heightened political situation. The Tests are played in Leeds, Birmingham, London and Manchester.

The ECB is geared for extra security measures to be introduced as a matter of routine procedure. These were last invoked two years ago amid threats from the Just Stop Oil movement to disrupt games in 2023, when there was a minor pitch invasion from protesters during the Lord’s Test against Australia.

ECB typically bears the costs up to a certain threshold after which India might be expected to contribute if they want additional protection.

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