The Indian Premier League is back on track after a brief hiatus due to the India-Pakistan tensions. The tournament resumes on May 17 with a highly anticipated match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders at Bengaluru. A major concern was whether Australian players would return to India for the remaining matches, given the World Test Championship final between Australia and South Africa on June 11.
Aussie Players’ Dilemma
Several top Australian players are still in the playoff hunt. They include Mitchell Starc and Jake Fraser-McGurk from Delhi Capitals, Spencer Johnson from KKR, Mitchell Marsh from Lucknow Super Giants, Josh Hazlewood and Tim David from RCB, and Marcus Stoinis, Mitch Owen, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, and Xavier Bartlett from Punjab Kings. Cricket Australia has stated that it will support players’ decisions regarding their return to India. The governing body is working with the team management to prepare players who choose to stay for the World Test Championship final.
The decision of these players to return or not could significantly impact their teams’ chances. Punjab Kings has the most Australian players, and their performance has been impressive this season. Delhi Capitals and RCB also have several Australian players who have played crucial roles. Josh Hazlewood is unlikely to return due to a shoulder injury, and Mitchell Starc is also expected to skip the remaining IPL matches.
Upcoming Schedule
Here are the upcoming IPL matches:
- May 17: RCB vs KKR (Bengaluru)
- May 18: RR vs PBKS (Jaipur)
- May 18: DC vs GT (Delhi)
- May 19: LSG vs SRH (Lucknow)
- May 20: CSK vs RR (Delhi)
- May 21: MI vs DC (Mumbai)
- May 22: GT vs LSG (Ahmedabad)
- May 23: RCB vs SRH (Bengaluru)
- May 24: PBKS vs DC (Jaipur)
- May 25: GT vs CSK (Ahmedabad)
- May 25: SRH vs KKR (Delhi)
- May 26: PBKS vs MI (Jaipur)
- May 27: LSG vs RCB (Lucknow)
The playoff schedule is as follows:
- May 29: Qualifier 1 (venue TBD)
- May 30: Eliminator (venue TBD)
- June 1: Qualifier 2 (venue TBD)
- June 3: Final (venue TBD)