'Want our players back on 26th' - Cricket South Africa fires strong message to BCCI after IPL 2025 extension

With the World Test Championship Final looming around, Cricket South Africa's head coach, Shukri Conrad, has made an audacious claim concerning players' availability in the Indian Premier League 2025. He stated that the national team's players must return by May 26 despite BCCI's tournament extension amid India-Pakistan tensions.

Notably, the tournament was set to conclude on May 25 earlier, and players were set to return on May 26 to gear up for the forthcoming ICC event. However, the prestigious tournament was extended by nine days due to temporary suspensions and military tensions between India and Pakistan. With the new situation having been improved and stabilized, after a ceasefire, the tournament is set to resume on May 17, while the final is culminating on June 3.

Meanwhile, this rescheduling now seems to have raised major concerns for the teams that have been gearing up for the national commitments, especially Australia and South Africa, who are gearing up for the WTC Final slated to take place from June 11th to 15th at Lord's in England.

The side has already revealed the squad for the WTC Final, and all the players need to report by May 31 in England. It has come to note that non-IPL players will be traveling to South Africa on May 30, while the selected players will leave a bit earlier.

Who will be missing the final stages of IPL 2025?

The likes of Corbin Bosch (Mumbai Indians), Wiaan Mulder (Sunrisers Hyderabad), Marco Jansen (Punjab Kings), Aiden Markram (Lucknow SuperGiants), Lungi Ngidi (Royal Challengers Bengaluru), Kagiso Rabada (Gujarat Titans), Ryan Rickelton (Mumbai Indians) and Tristan Stubbs (Delhi Capitals) have all been named in the WTC final squad South Africa announced on May 13. 

"The initial agreement with the IPL and the BCCI was with the final being on the (May) 25th, our players would return on the 26th, so that it allows them ample time before we fly out on the 30th. Nothing has changed from our perspective.  We want our players back on the 26th, and hopefully that comes to fruition," South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad said on Tuesday.

"We are still in discussions with IPL & BCCI," Enoch Nkwe, the CSA director of cricket, told Cricbuzz when asked about the complexity of the situation.

Also Read: WTC Final 2025: Australia vs. South Africa – Battle of the Pace Batteries