Former England skipper Jos Buttler and South Africa quick Gerald Coetzee will join the Gujarat Titans squad on Wednesday ahead of the resumption of the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on May 17. According to ESPNcricinfo, Buttler and Coetzee were the only overseas GT players who left India after the BCCI suspended the cash-rich league last Thursday due to cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan.
GT’s other overseas players, including Rashid Khan, Sherfane Rutherford, Kagiso Rabada and Karim Janat, stayed with the rest of the squad in India.
Rutherford was named in the West Indies ODI squad for the three-match series in England, which is scheduled from May 29 to June 3. The Caribbean side’s tour will clash with the new schedule of the remainder of IPL 2025, which will resume on Saturday and conclude on June 3. Like Rutherford, Buttler is in the same situation after being named in England’s ODI squad for the series.
With three matches left in the group stage, Gujarat sits at the table’s summit on 16 points, ahead of second-placed Royal Challengers Bengaluru, courtesy of their superior net run rate. Gujarat’s next fixture is against Delhi Capitals on May 18. They will finish the campaign with two home fixtures against Lucknow Super Giants on May 22 and against Chennai Super Kings on May 25 in Ahmedabad.
KKR
Meanwhile, according to ESPNcricinfo, most of the overseas players of the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders, are expected to arrive in Bengaluru between Wednesday night and Thursday morning. KKR’s Caribbean stars Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Rovman Powell and team mentor Dwayne Bravo have been in Dubai since the tournament was suspended for a week. Wicketkeeper batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who is in Kabul, will go to Dubai, join the West Indies contingent and then fly to India.
At the same time, South Africa tearaway Anrich Nortje will join KKR in Bengaluru from the Maldives. According to ESPNcricinfo, KKR’s Indian players and support staff are expected to arrive on Wednesday.
The defending champions are in a precarious situation regarding their title defence. The beleaguered Kolkata side is in the seventh spot, hanging in the playoffs race by mathematical calculations. KKR is sixth in the standings with 11 points, and their remaining two fixtures against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bengaluru are do-or-die affairs.
If the Knight Riders stand triumphant with two wins, they will move to 15 points and will hope for other results to fall in their favour to keep their title defence alive.
SRH
Pat Cummins and Travis Head, the Australian pair who are set to feature in next month’s World Test Championship final, are expected to rejoin the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 resumption on May 17, according to ESPNcricinfo.
Last week, the 18th edition of the cash-rich league was suspended due to India’s cross-border tensions with Pakistan. The future of the remainder of the tournament was clouded in uncertainty. On Monday, the BCCI cleared the doubts by confirming that IPL would resume on Saturday in Bengaluru.
On Tuesday morning, Cummins and Head were named in Australia’s squad for the World Test Championship final against South Africa, commencing on June 11. There were doubts over their involvement, considering Hyderabad has already been ruled out of the race for the playoffs.
According to ESPNcricinfo, Hyderabad skipper Cummins and Head have informed SRH of their decision to fly back to India. Cummins’ manager, Neil Maxwell, confirmed that the Australian Test skipper is looking to return to India.
“Pat has a responsibility as captain of the franchise and is looking at returning,” Maxwell told News Corp on Tuesday, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
Cricket Australia’s head of national teams, Ben Oliver, has assured that the board will work towards working with players on their individual decisions to return to India or not over the next two days.
ESPNcricinfo also confirmed that, as of now, there is no confirmation on whether the overseas players, including Heinrich Klaasen, Eshan Malinga, Kamindu Mendis and Wiaan Mulder, will join SRH. Mulder was named in South Africa’s squad for the WTC final against Australia.
Hyderabad, who finished runners-up last year, lost their mojo in 2025. SRH batters, known for their brute power-hitting, have misfired apart from their campaign opener against the Rajasthan Royals.
With just three wins out of 11 fixtures, Hyderabad occupy the eighth spot in the points table. SRH will conclude their campaign with three away fixtures against LSG (May 19) in Lucknow, against RCB (May 23) in Bengaluru and against KKR in Delhi (May 25).
PBKS
Punjab Kings overseas stars Xavier Bartlett, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Mitchell Owen have confirmed their return to the franchise for the remainder of the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which will resume on May 17. According to ESPNcricinfo, no confirmation exists on their prized overseas pool, including Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Josh Inglis, and Aaron Hardie‘s return to India. Jansen and Inglis were named in South Africa and Australia’s squads for the World Test Championship final, set to commence on June 11 at the Lord’s.
The BCCI suspended the cash-rich league last Thursday due to cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan. According to ESPNcricinfo, most of the PBKS overseas staff stayed in India, including head coach Ricky Ponting and assistant coaches Brad Haddin and James Hopes. PBKS has asked its players and support staff to assemble in the next two days.
According to ESPNcricinfo, PBKS will resume its training on Thursday in Jaipur ahead of its remaining three group stage fixtures against Rajasthan Royals (May 18), Delhi Capitals (May 24) and Mumbai Indians (May 26).
PBKS is on the third spot with 15 points from 11 fixtures and stands in a promising position to make the cut for the playoffs. Punjab was in the middle of their fixture against Delhi Capitals at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on May 8, but the match was abandoned due to tensions between India and Pakistan.
After the cessation of hostilities on Saturday, the BCCI held conversations with the government and stakeholders. On Monday, the Indian cricket board released a statement announcing the schedule of the 17 remaining fixtures.
Six venues were selected for the 13 league games, featuring Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. However, the venues for the playoffs have yet to be announced.
According to the new schedule, Qualifier 1 will be held on May 29. The Eliminator and Qualifier 2 will be played on May 30 and June 1, respectively. The 18th edition of the IPL will conclude on June 3. The venues for the playoffs are yet to be decided.
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