The Indian Premier League has reportedly recalled its overseas stars and is working to convince them it is safe just two days after they started leaving.
The world’s most popular cricket tournament was suspended on Friday amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan and days of cross-border strikes.
On Saturday the two nations agreed to a ceasefire – though explosions still rang out in border towns hours afterwards – and the IPL therefore started recalling stars, according to The Times.
Some of England’s 10 cricket players out in India started flying home as soon as Friday, Mail Sport understands. Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, and Phil Salt were among those.
However, the IPL intends to restart as soon as Friday and wants players to be in place for the remaining matches games of the season by Thursday.
The Indian Board must work to persuade any overseas players that the venues they will be playing at are safe and that security measures have been adequately increased.
England’s stars have reportedly been recalled by the Indian Premier League (pictured: Jos Buttler)
The IPL wants to restart on Friday and finish the tournament ahead of schedule (pictured: Jofra Archer)
The IPL was suspended on Friday amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan
Just 12 matches in the T20 competition’s group stage remain before four knockout fixtures.
The Times claims that organisers may try to squeeze those encounters into a tighter timeframe than the two weeks originally scheduled for them.
In any case, completing the season as close to the original finish date of May 25 is significant because overseas players have other commitments. England, for example, will commence a white ball series against the West Indies on May 29.
On Thursday, the clash between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals was abandoned after fighting began in India’s border regions, but the cricket board attributed the disruption to a power failure at the stadium in the hill city of Dharamsala.
The world’s richest cricket tournament began its current season on March 22, and the final fixture was scheduled to be played on May 25, with matches being spread over 13 venues across the country.
The nuclear-armed neighbours have been locked in conflict since Wednesday, when India targeted multiple locations in Pakistan, claiming they were ‘terrorist infrastructure’ in response to a deadly attack in Kashmir last month.
New Delhi named two Pakistani nationals as suspects and accused Islamabad of being involved in the attack, a charge Pakistan denied and sought an independent probe.
India’s army said Pakistan’s armed forces carried out ‘multiple attacks’ using drones and other munitions across the entire western border on Thursday night and early Friday, a claim Pakistan denied.
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Meanwhile the Pakistan Super League has been moved overseas to the United Arab Emirates
The disruption is not solely confined to India’s franchise tournament, however, with Pakistan’s own competition also impacted.
However, while the IPL has been put on hold, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) has relocated to the United Arab Emirates as a result of the rising tensions.
The PCB confirmed it had made its decision in response to India allegedly targeting the match between Quetta Gladiators and Islamabad United in Rawalpindi on Wednesday evening with a surveillance drone.
It follows the postponement of a match on Thursday between Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi that involved three English players – James Vince, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Luke Wood.