In a welcome development for Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises, Cricket South Africa (CSA) has announced that its players will be available for the remainder of the 2025 season, reversing an earlier decision that had caused uncertainty among teams.
The IPL, currently on a brief hiatus due to border tensions between India and Pakistan, is scheduled to resume on May 17. Initially, CSA had informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and IPL franchises that South African players would only be available until May 26. This was due to South Africa’s preparations for the upcoming ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia in June.
However, in a major relief to IPL teams, CSA has revised its stance. The board has decided to reduce the national team’s preparation time for the WTC final, originally scheduled to begin with a warm-up match against Zimbabwe on June 3. This match is now expected to be canceled.
“There has been a change in our schedule. We will start our preparations for the WTC final from June 3,” confirmed Enoch Nkwe, CSA’s Director of Cricket.
This decision means key South African players will now be available for the IPL until the conclusion of the tournament, allowing teams to retain their core overseas talent during the critical final phase of the league.
Among the players who will stay with their franchises are:
- Kagiso Rabada (Gujarat Titans)
- Lungi Ngidi (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
- Tristan Stubbs (Delhi Capitals)
- Aiden Markram (Lucknow Super Giants)
- Ryan Rickelton and Corbin Bosch (Mumbai Indians)
- Marco Jansen (Punjab Kings)
- Wiaan Mulder (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
The decision has been widely welcomed by franchises, many of whom were concerned about the potential disruption to team balance during the most crucial stage of the competition.
With the IPL set to resume under a renewed ceasefire agreement, this move by South Africa is expected to strengthen the competitive edge of the tournament and ease the logistical pressures faced by team managements.
