For a tournament often described as 'cricket's unstoppable juggernaut', the Indian Premier League has only been halted twice in its 17-year history.
The 2025 suspension -- triggered by rising military tensions between India and Pakistan -- is a rare and sobering moment, reminding fans that even the world's richest cricket league isn't immune to global crises.
The IPL 2025 season has now been indefinitely suspended with just 16 matches left to play.
The decision, made by the BCCI on Friday, May 9, 2025, came a day after the Punjab Kings- Delhi Capitals game in Dharamsala was called off midway due to air raid alerts in nearby regions.
Punjab Kings, who were well poised at 122/1 after 10.1 overs and on the cusp of becoming the first team to qualify for the playoffs, saw their momentum interrupted. The match was officially abandoned, and the IPL points table remains unchanged for now, with Gujarat Titans on top, followed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru, PBKS, and Mumbai Indians rounding out the top four.
With 12 league fixtures and four playoff matches remaining, the BCCI is expected to wait for de-escalation before evaluating any resumption window.
This is only the second time that the IPL has been suspended mid-season. The last instance came in May 2021, during the devastating second wave of COVID-19. Multiple bio-bubble breaches and rising case counts among players and staff prompted the league to pause. The season eventually resumed four months later in the UAE.
Even earlier, the IPL faced venue disruptions but not full suspensions:
• In 2009, the entire tournament was shifted to South Africa due to the Lok Sabha elections.
• In 2014, part of the season was held in the UAE for the same reason.
This time, the pause is a result of security concerns -- a stark reminder that even cricket's biggest spectacle must bow to real-world emergencies.
With the final originally scheduled for May 25 at Eden Gardens, and a global audience watching, this unexpected halt throws the fate of IPL 2025 into deep uncertainty.
The BCCI is now exploring a potential window in September should the Asia Cup -- also under threat due to regional tensions -- be scrapped.
As the situation unfolds, players, stakeholders, fans alike can only wait, hoping the league can find its way back to completion -- just like it did in 2021.
© 2025