IPL 2025 is set to resume from May 17. The tournament was suspended on May 9 due to the military clash between India and Pakistan. Before the league restarts, a major decision has been made regarding player replacements. This is a relief for the teams but also comes with a complication.
IPL franchises will be allowed to include temporary replacement players for the final phase of the current season. However, players who join as replacements in this final phase will not be eligible for retention before the next auction.
Most foreign players will return to India for the remaining season, but some have withdrawn their names. England’s bowler Jamie Overton (Chennai Super Kings) and Australia’s batsman Jake Fraser-McGurk (Delhi Capitals) will not be coming back. Delhi Capitals have included Mustafizur Rahman as a replacement for McGurk. Mustafizur is a fast bowler from Bangladesh. IPL rules permit teams to have replacements in case of injury or illness, provided it happens on or before their 12th match of the season.
However, the league has now decided to change these rules, allowing temporary replacements for the remaining part of the season. But any temporary replacement signed after the league’s suspension cannot be retained before the next season. This step has been taken to prevent franchises from bypassing the auction process. According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, the IPL sent a memo to franchises saying that it has “reassessed” the replacement rules.
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The league said, “Considering the unavailability of some foreign players due to national commitments, personal reasons, injury, or illness, temporary replacement players will be allowed until the conclusion of the tournament. However, with this decision comes the condition that temporary replacement players will not be eligible for retention next year. Temporary replacement players will have to register for the IPL 2026 auction.” IPL also clarified that replacements approved before the league suspension are eligible for retention before the next season.
