Mitchell Johnson SLAMS IPL for 'coercing' overseas players to return for rest of season after India-Pakistan tensions

Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 is all set to restart on Saturday, May 17, with the remaining league and Playoff games. The tournament was halted nearly 10 days ago due to soaring tensions between India and Pakistan at the Line of Control (LoC), and many overseas players and support staff returned to their countries. Now that the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) has announced the revival of the IPL season, many overseas players and support staff have been asked to reassemble in India as soon as possible. However, former Australian cricketer Mitchell Johnson accused the BCCI of 'coercing' overseas players to rejoin the tournament.

What did Mitchell Johnson say?

Johnson, in his column for the West Australian, wrote, ''If I had to make a call whether to head back to India and finish the tournament, it would be an easy decision. It's a no from me. Lives and safety are the most important thing, not pay cheques. It's a personal decision. No one should be coerced or feel pressured into going back, even if the IPL and Pakistan Super League, which has also been halted, push hard for it. Both tournaments should just end now or consider moving, which then becomes a huge financial issue.'' The return of several Australian and South African players are in jeopardy as both teams are set to play the finals of the World Test Championship (WTC) next month at the iconic Lord's.

Updated IPL fixtures

IPL 2025 was earlier scheduled to conclude on May 25, but now has been pushed to June 3. For the remaining league and Playoff matches, BCCI has fixed 6 neutral venues. For instance, all Punjab Kings (PBKS) league matches will be played at Jaipur's Sawai Man Singh Stadium.