The rescheduled IPL 2025 Final on June 3 could present a major selection headache for cricket boards as it now closely clashes with the World Test Championship (WTC) Final, which begins on June 11 in England. With just an 8-day gap between the two marquee events, top Test-playing nations face a dilemma over their players’ availability.
Several key overseas stars are currently involved in IPL franchises but are also in contention for the WTC Final. Among them:
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Pat Cummins, Travis Head (Australia) – Part of Sunrisers Hyderabad
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Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Tristan Stubbs (South Africa) – Playing for various IPL teams
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Josh Hazlewood (Australia) – Reserve or probable inclusions
While no official word has come from Cricket Australia or Cricket South Africa yet, it is likely that boards may recall key Test players to allow for early acclimatisation and training in English conditions. This could lead to early departures of some overseas players just before IPL’s playoff stage, affecting team balance during Qualifier 1, Eliminator, Qualifier 2, and the Final.
With the IPL extended beyond its original May 25 finish due to the India-Pakistan conflict, the overlap now raises fresh concerns for player workload and national priorities.
Will the franchises be forced to tweak their combinations at the last moment? Or will national boards allow stars to stay back till the IPL concludes?
Only time — and squad announcements — will tell.
