After an unexpected and unsettling week-long break, the Indian Premier League returns on Saturday, aiming to complete the final leg of the tournament with some major impediments along the way.
A packed cricket calendar meant that all international cricket that had been kept on hold would resume on May 25 – the original date of the IPL final.
However, the franchise league will now have its title match on June 3 after a change in schedule due to the brief conflict between India and Pakistan, which means the league will spill into the international calendar. That has forced last-minute negotiations between overseas players and cricket boards with the IPL about who plays when and where.
All of which is expected to impact teams who are in the race for the play-offs. Teams who rely heavily on their foreign contingent are making anxious permutations as many stars are unlikely to be available for the entirety of the IPL.
With so many moving parts, we take a look at where the teams and the tournament stand as the tournament restarts with a clash between Bengaluru and Kolkata on Saturday.
IPL play-offs scenario
Chennai, Hyderabad and Rajasthan have already been eliminated from the play-offs race. That means seven teams still have a realistic, or at least mathematical, chance of qualifying for the next stage.
At the top of the table, Gujarat and Bengaluru are well placed on eight wins and 16 points. Both need just one more win from their three remaining games to be guaranteed of qualification.
Punjab are next up on seven wins and 15 points after a washout. Two more wins should secure their spot, while one more win from three remaining games could also get the job done. But at 17 points, there could be other teams in play as well.
Mumbai have staged a late comeback in the tournament and have seven wins and 14 points from 12 matches. They need to win both their remaining games as one more defeat would make qualification a tense affair.
For Kolkata (11 points from 12 matches) and Lucknow (10 from 11 games), the walls are closing in as they have fewer points than matches played, which is generally a point of no return with just a handful of matches remaining.
Which international players are returning to the IPL?
The major issue facing the IPL is the start of the England summer and the World Test Championship final. West Indies’ ODI series in England begins on May 29, while South Africa and Australia will play in the WTC final at Lord’s from June 11.
Many England, South Africa and Australian players are expected to be available only for a brief period, most likely until the play-offs.
Another factor is the mental health of the players, especially those from Delhi and Punjab who participated in the May 8 match that was abandoned in Dharamsala – during the worst period of the conflict between India and Pakistan.
According to reports, some players have been left shaken by the entire ordeal and are not too keen to return.
Set for return: Gerald Coetzee (Gujarat Titans); Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Anrich Nortje, Quinton de Kock, Spencer Johnson (Kolkata Knight Riders); Pat Cummins and Travis Head (Sunrisers Hyderabad); Mitchell Santner (Mumbai Indians); Romario Shepherd, Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Jacob Bethell, Phil Salt (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)
Limited availability: Jos Buttler and Kagiso Rabada (Gujarat Titans), Lungi Ngidi (Royal Challengers Bengaluru), Marco Jansen (Punjab Kings), Wiaan Mulder (Sunrisers Hyderabad); Jacob Bethell (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)
Uncertain: Mitchell Starc, Faf du Plessis, Tristan Stubbs (Delhi Capitals); Will Jacks, Ryan Rickleton, Corbin Bosch (Mumbai Indians); Josh Inglis and Marcus Stoinis (Punjab Kings)
Pulled out: Jake Fraser-McGurk (Delhi Capitals), Jamie Overton and Sam Curran (Chennai Super Kings); Jofra Archer (Rajasthan Royals)
