What happened to home advantage in IPL 2025?
Aakash Chopra and Matt Roller discuss why teams have struggled to dominate at home
IPL 2025 resumes on May 17 after it was suspended for just over a week following cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan. As the franchises regroup, ESPNcricinfo answers queries about what to expect from the rest of the season.
What is the situation on the points table?
No team is yet to seal a playoffs spot, but a few are almost there, while Chennai Super (CSK), Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are out of the race.
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Gujarat Titans (GT) lead the points table with 16 points and are just one win away from cementing a place in the final four. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), second with 16 points as well, are also one win away. Punjab Kings (PBKS) are on 15 points and need two wins out of three. Mumbai Indians (MI) are fourth with 14 points, while Delhi Capitals (DC) are fifth with 13. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are closer to elimination than the playoffs.
Here's everything you need to know about the IPL 2025 playoffs scenarios.
Will the abandoned PBKS vs DC fixture be replayed?
Yes, the fixture, which was abandoned after just 10.1 overs in Dharamsala on May 8, will be replayed from scratch on May 24. The runs scored and wickets taken will not be added to the players' records. The venue has been changed to Jaipur, where PBKS will play all their three remaining league games.
So what's the new schedule?
IPL 2025 will restart on Saturday, May 17, with RCB taking on KKR in Bengaluru. The 13 league games (including the PBKS vs DC rematch) that remain will be played from May 17 to 27, which includes two double-header days on May 18 and May 25. Qualifier 1 will take place on May 29, the Eliminator on May 30, Qualifier 2 on June 1 and the final on June 3. The venues for the four playoff games have not been announced yet.
The league matches will be played in six venues: Bengaluru, Jaipur, Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The match timings remain unchanged: evening games will begin at 7.30pm IST while the afternoon games will start at 3.30pm IST.
There will be no matches in Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata or any of PBKS' home venues. Hyderabad and Kolkata were originally scheduled to host the playoffs.
Here is the full list of IPL 2025 fixtures.
Did all the players return home during the interruption? What about the overseas players - is everyone coming back?
The status of overseas players - available or unavailable - has been rapidly changing ever since the IPL announced it was resuming. While a majority of the players are coming back, some high-profile names, like Mitchell Starc, are not, while some England and South Africa players are available only until the league stage ends due to international commitments. For a detailed list of players available and not, click here.
GT: They are likely to have their full set of overseas players available, but Jos Buttler will miss the playoffs should GT make it, and so will Kagiso Rabada. Sherfane Rutherford will be available for the rest of the season despite being named in West Indies' touring squad to Ireland.
RCB: Romario Shepherd, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Lungi Ngidi, Tim David and Phil Salt have rejoined the RCB squad ahead of the KKR clash. Out of them, Shepherd will be available for the rest of the season, Bethell will be available for only two matches, while Ngidi will be available for the three league games. Josh Hazlewood's return, however, remains uncertain.
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PBKS: Xavier Bartlett, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mitchell Owen and Marco Jansen have confirmed their participation, while PBKS are still waiting on Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis and Aaron Hardie's availability. Jansen is part of South Africa's WTC final squad and will leave once the league games end.
MI: MI will have Trent Boult back along with Will Jacks, Ryan Rickelton, Corbin Bosch, Mitchell Santner, Reece Topley, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Bevon Jacobs. Out of them, Bosch, Rickelton and Jacks will leave once MI are done with their final two league games owing to national commitments, while the rest will be available for the rest of the tournament. It must be noted that MI only play their first game upon resumption on May 21.
DC: Australia opener Jake Fraser-McGurk and Mitchell Starc are not returning, while Faf du Plessis' availability remains unclear. Tristan Stubbs will be back but will leave before the playoffs begin.
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LSG: The overseas LSG players, which include Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, David Miller and Matthew Breetzke, will link up with the squad by May 18. Out of the lot, Markram is the only player who will leave post the league phase in case LSG qualify for the playoffs, while Shamar Joseph is not coming back.
KKR: Most of KKR's overseas players are back in India, barring Moeen Ali and Rovman Powell. "Powell is undergoing a procedure, while Moeen and his family are down with a viral infection," a KKR statement said.
RR: Jofra Archer will miss RR's last two games because of a thumb injury, while Maheesh Theekshana is also recovering from a niggle. Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka and Lhuan-dre Pretorius have joined the team.
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SRH: Despite already being eliminated, SRH will have the services of Pat Cummins and Travis Head for the remainder of the league. Heinrich Klaasen, Eshan Malinga and Kamindu Mendis will also be back.
CSK: Jamie Overton has pulled out of IPL 2025, while it's unclear if Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway will return. Among those available from their overseas contingent are Afghanistan left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmad and Sri Lankan quick Matheesha Pathirana.
Have there been any tweaks to the rules because of the rearranged season?
Yes, the IPL will now allow franchises to sign temporary replacement players for the remainder of the season, but those players will not be eligible for retention ahead of the next auction.
DC have brought in fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman in place of Fraser-McGurk using this rule, while Kusal Mendis will come in for Buttler for GT if they make the playoffs. Here are some other replacements for the rest of the season.
Meanwhile, Mayank Yadav is out with a fresh back injury.
Lastly, what's the latest with the orange and purple cap lists?
Only ten runs separate the top five batters in the race to the orange cap. Suryakumar Yadav leads the run-getters list with 510 runs, but GT openers B Sai Sudharsan (509) and Shubman Gill (508) are hot on his heels. Virat Kohli is marginally behind on 505 runs while Buttler is on 500.
On the purple cap list, GT's Prasidh Krishna and Noor are top of the pile with 20 wickets apiece, while Josh Hazlewood and Trent Boult with 18 each are next in line. Varun Chakravarthy has 17 wickets and is in fifth position.