Cricket Australia has moved to remove any uncertainty for players juggling franchise cricket in India and international duties, stating that its squad members will be permitted to finish their IPL commitments without being pulled away for the upcoming ODI assignment in Pakistan. A Cricket Australia spokesperson confirmed that Australian players “will still be in the IPL and will complete their commitments,” easing concerns that an ODI schedule scheduled for later in May could interrupt the final stretch of the tournament. At present, roughly a dozen Australians are involved in the IPL, with the timing of the international window creating an obvious overlap with the league’s business end.
The clarification arrives after Cricket Australia and the Pakistan Cricket Board jointly announced a three-match ODI series on Thursday, May 7. The fixtures are set for May 30, June 2 and June 4, with the players expected to report in Islamabad on May 23. That arrival date lands squarely during the closing phase of the IPL, which is scheduled to end on May 31, meaning any early departure would have posed a problem for teams still competing for playoff berths. Cricket Australia’s message therefore ensures that the players will remain available for their franchise responsibilities through the tournament’s conclusion.
Among the Australians currently featuring in the IPL is Pat Cummins, who is Australia’s regular ODI captain. Mitchell Marsh is also part of the group, having stepped in during Cummins’ injury layoff. The other Australian players in India include Travis Head, Tim David, Josh Hazlewood, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Mitchell Starc and Matthew Short. With the IPL’s league stage due to wrap up on May 24, many players will theoretically be released from IPL duties soon after, since six of the ten teams are expected to be knocked out by then.
Even so, the situation for several individuals remains dependent on how their franchises fare in the playoffs. Cummins, Head, David, Hazlewood, Bartlett and Connolly—along with others—may need to stay on if their sides remain in contention, given that playoff participation extends beyond May 24 and runs through the final. That is part of the reason Cricket Australia’s assurance is significant: it aligns the ODI reporting timeline with the realistic demands of the IPL finish for teams that progress.
To gauge how the top franchises were handling the overlap, the situation was checked with Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings, both occupying the leading positions in the points table at this stage. Officials from both teams confirmed that their players, including the Australians, will honour their contracts in full and will not leave midway through the season. Cricket Australia, for its part, has not yet announced the final Pakistan ODI squad, and there is also a possibility that the selections will be managed in a way that avoids clashes with players’ IPL commitments.
The upcoming bilateral ODI series will mark Australia’s first tour of Pakistan since March and April 2022. Earlier this year, Australia returned to Pakistan for a three-match T20I series in January and February, which the home side won 3-0 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
