IPL 2025 Introduces Temporary Replacement Rule for Final Phase. In light of the extraordinary suspension of the IPL 2025 season due to the ongoing border disputes between India and Pakistan, the BCCI has introduced a temporary player replacement policy for the final stages of the tournament.
On restarting the IPL on May 17, some issues emerged when overseas players began to be unavailable for a range of reasons, including national commitments, injuries, or, at times, just their own reasons. Hence, to address the need of the franchises, the league has allowed franchises to sign players on temporary contracts for the remaining games of the 2025 season.
But these temporary replacements come with a few conditions:
No Retention: Such players, who will be signed after the suspension as temporary replacements, cannot be retained in the 2026 season. They will have to go to the next IPL Player Auction to be considered for future participation.
Eligibility of Prior Replacements: Any player approved as a replacement before the suspension shall remain eligible for retention this season. These include, notably, Mayank Agarwal (Royal Challengers Bangalore), Sediqullah Atal (Delhi Capitals), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, and Nandre Burger (both for Rajasthan Royals).
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The revised rules were implemented immediately after Delhi Capitals signed Mustafizur Rahman as an interim replacement for Jake Fraser-McGurk, who had pulled out due to personal reasons.
Hence, as the IPL 2025 season inches closer to its end, the teams will have to strategically find a way to balance temporary players in their teams and comply with the new retention guidelines.
