IPL 2025: Foreign cricket boards express concerns over player safety after league's suspension

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 has been suspended for a week in light of the escalating tension between India and Pakistan. Responding to the same, the South African Cricketers' Association (SACA) and Cricket Australia (CA) have expressed concerns regarding the safety of their players who were participating in the league.

On Thursday, May 8, the high-stakes match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals had to be halted halfway into the first innings, following which the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to suspend the tournament with immediate effect for one week.

IPL chairman Arun Dhumal said that there was no point continuing with the league and a decision on its future will be taken after assessing conditions in the coming days.

"The health and safety of players is not negotiable. We are in direct contact with all the South African players at the IPL and keeping them updated with security reports. We have offered them any support they need," Andrew Breetzke, the SACA chief executive, was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

Meanwhile, in a statement on Friday, Cricket Australia spoke on similar lines, saying: "We continue to closely monitor the situation in Pakistan and India, including obtaining regular advice and updates from the Australian Government, the PCB, BCCI and local government authorities, and maintaining communication with our players and support staff currently in the region."

Just a few hours ahead of the said escalation, Cricket West Indies (CWI) also issued a statement asserting that it was in touch with both BCCI and PCB to take stock of the situation.

The IPL is intriguingly poised with only 12 league matches remaining before the playoffs and the final. While Gujarat Titans are leading the IPL 2025 points table, none of the teams has booked their places in the playoffs. However, Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals, and Sunrisers Hyderabad have already been ousted from the race to the next stage of the 10-team tournament.