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South Africa players to prioritize WTC Final over IPL Playoffs, return home on May 26 (Source: PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP via Getty Images)

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has confirmed that their players participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 will return home by May 26, in preparation for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia, scheduled from June 11 to 15 at Lord’s. With the IPL playoffs schedule now conflicting with 's training schedule, eight players are expected to miss the business end of the T20 league.

Initially, the IPL was to conclude by May 25, which lined up well with the NOCs (No Objection Certificates) issued to South African players. However, a one-week suspension in the league due to political tensions between India and Pakistan led to a rescheduling, pushing the playoffs to start from May 29 and the final to June 3.

CSA, however, has refused to extend player availability over the original May 25 timeline. National coach Shukri Conrad and CSA Director of Cricket Enoch Nkwe have stated that the board’s priority is significant preparation time for the WTC final.

"The initial agreement with IPL-BCCI was that, with the final being on the 25th, our players would return on the 26th, so that it allows them ample time before we fly out on the 30th. That is the ongoing conversation that is being had between people in a higher pay grade than I am - the director of cricket [Nkwe] and Pholetsi [Moselki, the CSA chief executive]. They're dealing with that. We want our players back on the 26th, and hopefully that comes to fruition," Conrad said in Johannesburg after South Africa announced their WTC final squad.

Eight players, including (GT), Lungi Ngidi (RCB), Tristan Stubbs (DC), Aiden Markram (LSG), Ryan Rickelton and Corbin Bosch (MI), Marco Jansen (PBKS), and Wiaan Mulder (SRH) have been named in South Africa’s WTC final squad. Some of these players have recently returned to IPL action after serving bans or recovering from injuries, including Rabada, who completed a one-month suspension in early May.

While some teams like SRH and LSG are on the brink or already out of the playoff race, franchises such as GT, MI, RCB, and PBKS are still in contention. Their playoff strategies could be affected by the instructed withdrawal of their South African stars.

South Africa is scheduled to fly to the UK on May 30 and begin a four-day warm-up game against Zimbabwe in Arundel from June 3. The CSA has named a balanced Test squad, with Temba Bavuma leading, along with a strong pace attack that includes Rabada and Ngidi. Rickelton is set to open, with Stubbs and David Bedingham taking up the middle-order spots.