Cricket Australia on Tuesday announced their squad for the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final where Australia faces South Africa to defend their title.
As many as five players who are part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 have been included in the squad which in all likelihood puts them out of contention for at least the play-offs if not the entirety of the rescheduled part of the tournament.
IPL 2025 was originaly scheduled to end on May 25 but due to tensions between India and Pakistan, the tournament had to be postponed. As per the revised schedule announced on Monday, the competition will now end on June 3, just a week before the WTC final which begins June 11 at the Lord's. This has put the availability multiple star Australian players in doubt for the rest of the IPL season.
Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are the players in IPL who have been included in the Australian Test squad. Among these, Hazlewood's absence from the remainder of the season is confirmed due to an injury. Hazlewood's Royal Challengers Bengaluru are in prime position for a play-off spot while Inglis' Punjab Kings too are a win away from a top four finish. Mitchell Starc's Delhi Capitals are also in the running for play-off spot. SunRisers Hyderabad, who are led by Cummins, are not in play-off race. Head too is part of the same side.
As per media reports most Australian players and support staff have left India and are returning home over the weekend.
The board recently announced that they would back their player's decision on whether to join their IPL teams or to stay in Australia. "Cricket Australia will support players in their individual decisions whether to return to India or not," CA said in a statement.
