Many teams may be in trouble in the IPL 2025 playoff race. Cricket South Africa (CSA) has withdrawn its players for the preparation of the World Test Championship (WTC) final by 26 May. This may cause major losses to Gujarat Titans (GT), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Mumbai Indians (Mi), Delhi Capitals (DC), and Punjab Kings. This news is spreading rapidly on social media, and fans are expressing their concern. Let’s learn about the impact of this decision and the players involved.

Return of South African players

According to the report, CSA has made it clear that the players selected for the WTC final will return to South Africa by 26 May. The CSA does not want to take any risk before the final against Australia at Lord’s from June 11. The affected players include Kagiso Rabada (GT), Ryan Ricelton (Mi), Marco Yansen and Josh English (PBKS), Triston Stabs (DC), and Quenna Mafaka (RR). The decision came on the last day of the group stage of IPL (27 May) and the playoffs (from 29 May).

Affected teams and their challenges

The GT and RCB, which leads to the playoff race with 16 digits, may suffer the most. Rabada is an important bowler for GT, and bowling may weaken in his absence. Ricelton for Mi and Yansen for PBKS can spoil the balance in batting and bowling. DC will have problems in the middle order due to lack of stubs. The BCCI has advised the franchisees not to put pressure on the players, which upset the teams.

WTC final and IPL confrontation

The new schedule of the IPL will start from May 17 to June 3, including the playoffs and the finals. But for the preparation of the WTC final, South Africa has called its players for a warm-up match against Zimbabwe in the first week of June. CSA coach Shukri Konrad said, “Our agreement was till 25 May, but now the deadline of 26 May is fixed.” Some non-WTC players may get discounts, but this is not clear yet.

What will teams do?

GT, RCB, Mi, DC, and PBKs may now have to depend on local players in the remaining matches. GT has started training in Ahmedabad, but Rabada’s absence is a matter of concern. This challenge is also big for RCB, as they want to confirm the place in the top-2. Will these teams recover from this shock? Fans and teams are waiting for the thrill of the IPL starting on May 17, but the return of South African players has made the playoff strategy difficult.