IPL 2025: Which overseas players will be returning for remaining matches? And how many will be missing out?

The 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to resume after a week-long suspension in a couple of days’ time , with Royal Challengers Bengaluru hosting defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday. RCB had outplayed KKR by seven wickets in the season opener at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens on 22 March, and the Knight Riders will be hoping to get even at the Chinnaswamy a little over 48 hours from now in a game that is crucial to their playoff chances.

The BCCI had earlier put the world’s biggest T20 league on a week-long pause due to the military conflict that broke out between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

The decision was announced on Friday, a day after the match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala was called off due to the Pakistan military targeting Indian cities located close to the international border – including Punjab’s Pathankot, located 90 kilometres from Dharamsala.

A majority of foreign players and members of the support staff returned home after the league was put on hold, with some including PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting and Mumbai Indians’ Mitch Santner and Bevon Jacobs staying back.

Also Read | IPL tweaks replacement rule to help teams tackle loss of overseas players

And while a majority of these players are expected to return for the remaining matches of the season – which will be taking place between 17 May and 3 June as per the BCCI’s revised schedule shared on Monday – there are some whose participation appears doubtful, including Australian pacers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

Tracking participation of overseas players for remaining IPL 2025 matches

Here’s a team-wise look at the overseas players who have confirmed their decision to return to the IPL, or are likely to do so, and those who have withdrawn or are doubtful (as reported by ESPNCricinfo, Cricbuzz and other publications as well as through official communication from the franchises):

Gujarat Titans

– Star leg-spinner Rashid Khan stayed back in India along with fellow Afghan Karim Janat as well as South African pace star Kagiso Rabada and West Indies’ Sherfane Rutherford.

– England wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler and Rabada’s compatriot Gerald Coetzee joined the Shubman Gill-led side on Wednesday.

– Buttler, however, will be later replaced by Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis as he has been named England captain for the ODI series against West Indies, which takes place around the same time as the playoffs.

– Mendis, who has been playing for the Quetta Gladiators in the ongoing PSL, gets an IPL contract for the first time in his career with GT signing him for Rs 75 lakh.

– Rabada will also miss the playoffs as he has been included in the Proteas’ squad for the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia. The BCCI on Thursday instructed all franchises to release all WTC final-bound South African players by 26 May, three days before the playoffs get underway.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

– Australia’s Tim David has rejoined the RCB squad along with West Indian all-rounder Romario Shepherd, South African pacer Lungi Ngidi and the English trio of Phil Salt, Jacob Bethell and Liam Livingstone.

– Bethell, however, will be available for just two matches as he has been included in England’s squad for the ODIs against West Indies and is expected to return after RCB’s home game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Shepherd has been included in the West Indian squad but there’s no confirmation over his participation.

– Ngidi will be missing the playoffs as he is part of South Africa’s squad for the WTC final against Australia. Salt, however, is available for the remainder of the season.

– There’s no clarity over the return of Australia’s Josh Hazlewood, who is nursing a minor shoulder niggle and is expected to feature in Australia’s playing XI for the WTC final against South Africa .

Punjab Kings

– South African pace-bowling all-rounder Marco Jansen has confirmed his decision to play the remainder of the season for PBKS, who are on the verge of qualifying for the IPL playoffs for the first time in 11 years.

– Jansen, however, will have to be released by the franchise latest by 26 May as he has been included in the Proteas’ WTC final squad.

– Also returning will be the Australian pair of Xavier Bartlett and Mitchell Owen, who replaced compatriot Glenn Maxwell in the squad, and Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai.

– The availability of Australia’s Josh Inglis and Marcus Stoinis, however, remains uncertain.

– New Zealand all-rounder Kyle Jamieson has been signed as a replacement for fellow Kiwi seamer Lockie Ferguson for Rs 2 crore, who had suffered an injury during the away game against Sunrisers Hyderabad earlier this season.

Mumbai Indians

– New Zealand white-ball captain Mitchell Santner and uncapped middle-order batter Bevon Jacobs had stayed back in India during the suspension after being persuaded to do so by the franchise.

– Fellow Kiwi Trent Boult has confirmed his availability for the remaining matches. Also making himself available for the remainder of the season is England batting all-rounder Will Jacks.

– South Africa’s Ryan Rickelton and Corbin Bosch, however, will be missing the playoffs should MI qualify as both have been included in the squad for the WTC final. The Hardik Pandya-led side are the only franchise who will be losing two WTC final-bound South African players.

Delhi Capitals

– Australia’s Jake Fraser-McGurk had become the first player to officially withdraw from the remaining games of the season.

– The Capitals have since signed Bangladesh left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman as Fraser-McGurk’s replacement , although the signing has since run into trouble with the Bangladesh Cricket Board stating they haven’t been approached for a No Objection Certificate over his participation.

– The availability of compatriot Mitchell Starc as well as South Africa’s Faf du Plessis is doubtful.

– Du Plessis’ compatriot Tristan Stubbs is expected to rejoin the squad once the season resumes on 17 May, but will have to fly out of India by 26 May as he is part of the Proteas’ WTC final squad.

Kolkata Knight Riders

– West Indian all-rounders Sunil Narine and Andre Russell have arrived in Bengaluru, where KKR face RCB in the first game after the week-long suspension.

– South Africa’s Quinton de Kock, Australia’s Spencer Johnson and Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz too have arrived. De Kock’s compatriot Anrich Nortje set to return to Bengaluru from Maldives. Australia’s Spencer Johnson too has confirmed his availability for the remainder of the season.

– Veteran England spin-bowling all-rounder Moeen Ali and West Indian all-rounder Rovman Powell will be sitting out of the remaining games of the season.

– Moeen and his family members are down with a viral infection while Powell is undergoing a procedure, the franchise said in a statement on Thursday.

Lucknow Super Giants

– South Africa’s Aiden Markram will rejoin the squad on Sunday, 18 May.

– The other overseas players – Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Breetzke, David Miller, Nicholas Pooran and Shamar Joseph – are also expected to join the squad in the next three days.

– Markram, however, will not be available for the playoffs in case LSG qualify as he is an integral part of the South African batting lineup and his presence will be crucial for the Proteas in the WTC final.

– Mayank Yadav has been ruled out of the remainder of the season due to a back injury and the Super Giants have signed New Zealand’s Will O’Rourke as he replacement for Rs 3 crore.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

– Australia captain Pat Cummins will be returning to lead Sunrisers Hyderabad, who have already been eliminated from the playoffs race, and will be joined by compatriot Travis Head despite the fact that the two are expected to play a crucial role in the WTC final.

– There isn’t any confirmation on South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen and Wiaan Mulder, the latter part of the Proteas’ squad for the WTC final, and Sri Lanka’s Eshan Malinga and Kamindu Mendis.

Rajasthan Royals

– England pacer Jofra Archer has already confirmed his decision to withdraw from the remaining games of the season as he continues to recover from a thumb injury that he had suffered earlier this month.

– Sri Lanka’s Maheesh Theekshana too as fitness concerns and might not feature in the remaining games.

– Theekshana’s compatriot Wanindu Hasaranga, however, will be joining the Royals camp in Jaipur along with West Indian middle-order batter Shimron Hetmyer and Afghan pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi.

– South Africa’s Kwena Maphaka and Lhuan-dre Pretorius are already with the Royals in Jaipur.

Chennai Super Kings

– Afghan spinner Noor Ahmad who is the second-highest wicket-taker this season and the franchise’ top performer this season, will be returning to India

– Also returning are South African batter Dewald Brewis, Sri Lankan speedster Matheesha Pathirana, and New Zealand opener Devon Conway.

– Conway’s compatriot Rachin Ravindra’s availability, however, remains doubtful while England’s Sam Curran and Jamie Overton have withdrawn from the remainder of the season.