The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 is set to explode back into action this Saturday, May 17th, after a week-long suspension due to escalated cross-border tensions.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will host Kolkata Knight Riders in the much-anticipated reopening match. However, as the league heads into its crucial final 17 matches, including the playoffs, many teams will be grappling with the absence of key overseas players.
The rescheduling, coupled with a packed international calendar featuring the World Test Championship (WTC) final between Australia and South Africa, and the West Indies' tour of Ireland and England, has significantly impacted player availability.
Notably, eight South African players participating in the WTC final will be unavailable for the IPL playoffs. Australian pacer Mitchell Starc is also among the prominent foreign players who will not be returning.
Here's a team-by-team breakdown of overseas player availability for the remainder of IPL 2025:
Chennai Super Kings
The five-time champions will have Devon Conway, Dewald Brevis, Nathan Ellis, Matheesha Pathirana, and Noor Ahmad for their campaign. However, Rachin Ravindra is likely to miss the rest of the season, while Jamie Overton and Sam Curran are confirmed absentees for different reasons.
Kolkata Knight Riders
KKR fans can look forward to seeing Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Quinton de Kock, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Anrich Nortje, and Spencer Johnson in action. Moeen Ali has withdrawn from the tournament, and Rovman Powell's participation remains doubtful due to injury concerns.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
RCB will have the services of Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, and Nuwan Thushara. Australian duo Josh Hazlewood and England's Jacob Bethell will rejoin the squad for the first two matches. South African pacer Lungi Ngidi has withdrawn to join the World Test Championship final preparation camp.
Rajasthan Royals
The Royals will feel the absence of England's Jofra Archer and South Africa's Nandre Burger due to international duties. The remainder of their foreign contingent is expected to be available for the remaining matches.
Lucknow Super Giants
LSG will count on Mitch Marsh, Matthew Breetzke, Nicholas Pooran, David Miller, Shamar Joseph, and William O'Rourke. However, South African captain Aiden Markram will miss all remaining matches due to his commitment to the WTC final. William O바카라Rourke has been roped in as a replacement for the injured Mayank Yadav.
Gujarat Titans
England's Jos Buttler will be partially available but will miss the playoffs to prepare for England바카라s limited-overs series against the West Indies; Kusal Mendis has been named his replacement. Similarly, South African pacer Kagiso Rabada will also not feature in the playoffs. Sherfane Rutherford, Dasun Shanaka, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, and Gerald Coetzee are available for all matches.
Delhi Capitals
Delhi Capitals have been hit with the withdrawal of Australian talents Jake Fraser-McGurk (personal reasons), Donovan Ferreira and Mitchell Starc. Mustafizur Rahman has come in as a replacement for Fraser-McGurk. The team will have Faf du Plessis, Sediqullah Atal and Dushmantha Chameera. However, Tristan Stubbs and Mustafizur Rahman will not be available for the playoff matches should DC qualify.
Mumbai Indians
Corbin Bosch, Ryan Rickelton, and Will Jacks will be available for only a few matches and will miss the playoffs. Jonny Bairstow has replaced Will Jacks, who will join the England squad, while Richard Gleeson has come in for Ryan Rickelton, who will leave for the WTC final preparations. Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner, Reece Topley, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Bevon Jacobs are available for all remaining fixtures.
Punjab Kings
Punjab Kings will miss the services of Marco Jansen for the playoffs. There is also no clarity yet on the availability of the Australian trio Aaron Hardie, Marcus Stoinis, and Josh Inglis. Mitchell Owen, Azmatullah Omarzai, Xavier Bartlett, and Kyle Jamieson are available for the rest of the season. Kyle Jamieson had earlier replaced the injured Lockie Ferguson, and Mitchell Owen came in for Glenn Maxwell, who suffered a finger injury before the tournament's suspension.
