IPL Returns Amid Tensions: Foreign Players Caught in Dilemma

The BCCI is pressuring foreign boards to allow players' return for IPL's May 17 restart. Teams are actively negotiating with overseas players, addressing safety concerns after India-Pakistan hostilities. While some players remain hesitant, many are expected back. The IPL final is moved to June 3, preceding the World Test Championship.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and IPL franchises are intensifying efforts to ensure foreign players return for the tournament's resumption on May 17, despite ongoing safety concerns stemming from recent India-Pakistan military tensions.

The BCCI has tasked IPL COO Hemang Amin with directly engaging cricket boards, like Cricket Australia and England and Wales Cricket Board, to alleviate players' concerns about traveling to India. Franchises have been strategizing with overseas athletes following the announcement of the revised IPL schedule, now that governmental security clearances have been obtained.

Suspended on May 9, the tournament's halt followed an India-Pakistan military standoff prompted by an April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam. BCCI officials express optimism that a majority of foreign players will return, though some remain apprehensive. Meanwhile, the IPL final has been postponed to June 3, impacting participants' preparation time for the World Test Championship commencing on June 11.

(With inputs from agencies.)