Black Caps all rounder Rachin Ravindra is one of the Kiwis who have returned home after the IPL was postponed. Photo: www.photosport.nz
The majority of New Zealand cricketers, coaches, support staff and commentators involved in the Indian and Pakistan T20 leagues have flown home and are awaiting developments over the ceasefire between the two countries.
Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra and Trent Boult who play in the Indian Premier League arrived home on Sunday, but Mitchell Santner and BJ Jacobs who play for the Mumbai Indians had agreed to a request to stay on, with the IPL hoping to resume the competition on Thursday or Friday, NZ Cricket Players Association chief executive Heath Mills said.
Nine other current or former Black Caps involved in the Pakistan Super League had also flown back from Dubai after that competition had been postponed indefinitely.
They had gone to the United Arab Emirates on Friday after the Pakistan Cricket Board relocated the tournament from Pakistan, but the board later called a halt to the tournament, saying that that cricket "must take a respectful pause" amid the conflict.
The New Zealanders involved in this year's Pakistan Super League are former captain Kane Williamson, Tim Seifert, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Kyle Jamieson and Colin Munro.
Mills told RNZ it was a very much a wait-and-see situation as to whether the competitions would resume, but the IPL was hopeful of resuming on Thursday or Friday.
It had been an anxious time for the players and it would be up to them whether they returned if the IPL did resume.
"Some might decide not to go back."
The two postponements have come in the wake of the ongoing conflict between the neighbouring countries.
Reuters reported a fragile ceasefire was holding on Sunday.
"The arch rivals were involved in intense firing for four days, the worst in nearly three decades, with missiles and drones being fired at each other's military installations and dozens of people killed.
A ceasefire agreement was reached after diplomacy and pressure from the United States, but within hours, artillery fire was witnessed in Indian Kashmir, the centre of much of the fighting.
"The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to suspend the remainder of the ongoing IPL 2025 with immediate effect for one week," secretary Devajit Saikia said in a statement on Friday.
The IPL governing council consulted the franchises and players and "considered it prudent to act in the collective interest of all stakeholders", he said.
"While cricket remains a national passion, there is nothing greater than the nation and its sovereignty, integrity, and security of our country," Saikia added.
"The BCCI remains firmly committed to support all efforts that safeguard India and will always align its decisions in the best interest of the nation."
Asked if players and support staff from abroad had been given the option to return home if they felt uncomfortable, BCCI secretary Saikia told Reuters: "That's not our domain. It's for the individual franchises to decide what they want to do with their foreign recruits."
Friday's IPL match in Dharamsala was abandoned midway through, with organisers citing a power outage, while Sunday's game at the same north Indian city was shifted to Ahmedabad because of the border tension.
The IPL still has 12 group matches left, which are due to be followed by the playoffs culminating in the May 25 final in Kolkata.
New dates and venues for the remaining matches will be declared "in due course", said Saikia.
Pakistan Super League postponed
The conflict took its toll on the other side of the border as well with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) initially deciding to move the last eight PSL games to the United Arab Emirates.
However, the PCB later said it had postponed the matches on the advice of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, adding that cricket "must take a respectful pause" amid the conflict.
"The PCB recognises the efforts and support of its partners, franchises, participating players, broadcasters, sponsors, and organizers in having ensured the smooth conduct of the tournament thus far," it said.
"We, at the PCB, also have sincere regard for the mental well-being of participating players and the sentiments of our foreign players, and we respect the concerns of their families who want to see them back home."
- RNZ Sport/Reuters
