IPL 2025 - 5 teams that will struggle most without overseas players (Photo source: IPL)
The renowned T20 cricket fest (Indian Premier League) was suspended for a week on Friday, May 9, following the rising geopolitical tension between India and Pakistan. However, following the announcement of a ceasefire between the two nations, the league is reportedly set for a restart next week.
The IPL chairman sounded confident in a recent interview that the overseas players who have returned home would rejoin their respective teams when the tournament resumes. However, in case the league has to be completed with only domestic players, which teams will struggle the most? CricTracker analyses below:
Five teams that will struggle most without overseas players- 5. Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Punjab-Kings. (Photo source: X/IPL)
Punjab Kings do not rely too much on their overseas contingent. Their top three batters—Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, and captain —were in stunning form and scored 63.23% of their runs this season. Meanwhile, Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal have combined to take 30 out of the 60 wickets picked up by PBKS in IPL 2025.
The likes of Josh Inglis, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Marcus Stoinis have not been able to make much of an impact. Marco Jansen has bowled well in patches, while Glenn Maxwell had another abysmal outing in the IPL before returning home due to injury. PBKS can slot in talented cricketers like Musheer Khan, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Sen, and Vishnu Vinod in the absence of the under-performing overseas stars.
4. Delhi Capitals (DC)
Delhi-Capitals. (Photo source: IPL)
Delhi Capitals are positioned at No. 5 on the points table. They are another team that is not heavily reliant on their overseas stars. However, the experience of Faf du Plessis and the match-winning ability of will be sorely missed if foreign players can't make it. Also, Tristan Stubbs' calmness under pressure has stood out. His absence will also be felt, and the likes of Ashutosh Sharma and Vipraj Nigam will have to shoulder more responsibility in finishing matches.
As far as the Indian brigade is concerned, Abishek Porel has given the team some whirlwind starts at the top of the order. Mukesh Kumar bowled well in some matches, and T Natarajan looked in good rhythm in DC's last game after recovering from injury. KL Rahul and Axar Patel have also fared well. Kuldeep Yadav's form has dipped in recent matches, but he knows how to bounce back in adverse situations.
3. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Kolkata-Knight-Riders. (Photo source: IPL)
Kolkata Knight Riders are struggling on the points table, having 11 points from 12 matches. Wins in their last two games do not guarantee them a spot in the playoffs. They acquired the services of Venkatesh Iyer at the mega-auction for a whopping INR 23.75 crore. However, the Madhya Pradesh cricketer has not been able to deliver. As the defending champions spent a huge chunk to bring him back into the lineup, they didn't have the budget left to go for some of the more established stars at the auction. The form of retained players like Ramandeep Singh and Rinku Singh has been dismal.
Ajinkya Rahane has batted well and led the team to the best of his abilities, but he hasn't had enough ammunition in his repertoire. Andre Russell finally found form in the last two games, while Sunil Narine has been consistent as ever with the ball. The latter has also played some fine cameos at the top. The troika of Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, and Vaibhav Arora has bagged 48 wickets between them. Therefore, the bowling lineup won't struggle too much in the absence of overseas stars. However, Rahmanullah Gurbaz's explosive starts, Russell's destructive batting in the middle, and Narine's all-round pyrotechnics will be missed.
2. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
RCB. (Photo Source - BCCI)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are one win away from booking their place in the playoffs. While Virat Kohli has had a stellar season with the bat, the overseas stars have also played important roles to take RCB to a terrific position on the points table. Phil Salt has been phenomenal at the top of the order, providing some brisk starts and helping Kohli ease into his innings. Jacob Bethell replaced Salt in the last couple of games after the latter missed out due to illness. The young all-rounder scored a quickfire half-century against Chennai Super Kings.
Tim David has played brilliantly down the order. He has helped RCB finish games with his exemplary ability to hit sixes. Romario Shepherd joined the fray later and showed his talent by smashing an unbeaten 53 off 14 balls against Chennai. Josh Hazlewood has suffered an injury, and there are reports that he might not return if the league restarts in the coming days. The Australian seamer has bowled wonderfully, picking up 18 wickets from 10 games at an average of 17.28. Lungi Ngidi replaced him against Chennai and bagged a three-for. With Bhuvneshwar Kumar not being in great form, having either Hazlewood or Ngidi in the side would be important for RCB as they look to win an elusive first title.
1. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
Aiden-Markram-and-Mitchell-Marsh. (Photo source: X/IPL)
Lucknow Super Giants are the only team in the competition to have overseas batters in the top three. Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, and Nicholas Pooran have played stellar roles for them this season. They have not scored too many runs in the last few games, and it has dented LSG's hopes of reaching the playoffs. LSG have lost their last three games and can't afford any more slip-ups. The Markram-Marsh-Pooran trio has scored 57.79% of the total runs scored by Lucknow this season.
If this troika is absent from the remaining games, Lucknow will need more runs from out-of-form skipper Rishabh Pant and bring in the likes of Shahbaz Ahmed, Himmat Singh, and Arshin Kulkarni to bolster the batting lineup. However, with all due respect, it will be tough for them to match the quality of Markram, Marsh, and Pooran. On the other hand, LSG have an all-Indian bowling attack, which will give them an edge over other teams.
