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Will IPL 2025 move to the UK amid one-week suspension? BCCI offered help by ECB

Asianetnews | May 10, 2025 7:39 PM CST

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has reportedly lent a helping hand to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) with an offer to host the remaining matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.

The BCCI has suspended the remainder of the IPL 2025 for one week due to escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. The official decision by the board came just a day after the match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals at HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala was called off amid the PBKS innings due to security concerns after air raid alerts in nearby regions like Pathankot and Jammu. The BCCI arranged a special Vande Bharat for PBKS and DC players, support staff, and broadcasting crew.

Though the BCCI has put the remaining season of the IPL 2025 for a week, the season's resumption will depend on the situation along the border and advisories from the Indian Government. The board informed that the new schedule for the remaining fixtures of the season, including playoffs and the Final, will be announced after consultation with the stakeholders and the government.

Will the BCCI shift the remaining IPL matches to the UK?

Amid the one-week suspension of the remainder of the IPL 2025, the England Cricket Board offered its support to the BCCI to host the remaining matches of the season in the United Kingdom, as several overseas players flew out of India due to uncertainty over the season’s future.

As per the report by English media outlet ‘Mail Online’, the ECB chief executive Richard Gould would be willing to step in to help the BCCI host the remaining IPL 2025 matches in the United Kingdom.

“We will help our counterparts at the BCCI where we can,” Gould said as quoted by Mail Online.

The ECB offered to help BCCI come after former England captain Michael Vaughan suggested that the Indian cricket board play the remaining IPL 2025 matches in the UK, as Indian players can prepare themselves for the upcoming Test series against England at the same time.,

Vaughan took to his X handle and wrote, “I wonder if it’s possible to finish the IPL in the UK .. We have all the venues, and the Indian players can then stay on for the Test series. Just a thought ?”

The last time IPL was hosted outside India was in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the entire season being held in the UAE across venues in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah. In 2021, the league partially took place in the UAE after the season was stopped midway due to a surge in cases of COVID-19 among the players and support staff of the IPL teams. The first time the Indian Premier League was held outside India was in 2009 when the season took place in South Africa due to the 2009 General Elections.

Pakistan Super League gets no help

Meanwhile, the remaining matches of the PSL 2025 have also been cancelled as United Arab Emirates shut doors on Pakistan Cricket Board’s plans to host the remaining season of the season in the country. The sources close to UAE Cricket stated that hosting PSL matches in middle of the ongoing situation between India and Pakistan is not possible, given the large South Asian population living in the country.

"The UAE has a diverse South Asian population which enjoys cricket. Hosting a tournament like the PSL in the midst of such tense circumstances could vitiate harmony, pose security risks and stir unnecessary friction between communities," the source said.

The match between Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings was cancelled after the drone hit the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium just a few hours before the match.