Shepherd, Livingstone Back in IPL; Boult to Return, Mustafizur in Doubt
Shepherd, Livingstone Back in IPL; Boult to Return, Mustafizur in Doubt
IPL 2025: Foreign players still in doubt for IPL playing clarity. WTC Final and England-West Indies series will clash with IPL remaining matches to impact the tournament.
Romario Shepherd Back To RCB
Romerio Shepherd is all set to join the RCB (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) team and has already arrived in India for the rescheduled leftover IPL Matches. Along with him, the Shepherd duo of Andre Russel, Sunil Narine, and their mentor Dwayne Bravo, the Kolkata Knight Riders’ squad has also checked in India.
Shepherd is also going to play for the West Indies in the ODI series that is going to be played against Ireland from May 21 to May 25, and there are also matches against England that are going to start from 29 May, and that is exactly the day when IPL play-offs gonna start.
Cricket West Indies is yet to clarify whether the England-bound West Indies players will be allowed to stay back in India to finish IPL duties. However, Cricket West Indies has not yet announced if the West Indies players headed to England will be permitted to remain in India to complete their IPL responsibilities.
Trent Boult To be Available for The Rest of the IPL
There are chances that Trent Boult might return for the rest of the IPL 2025. This is a big boost for the Mumbai Indians (MI) since Boult has played an important role in their success this season. They've come back strong after a slow start and are now serious contenders for the playoffs.
In the last mega auction, Boult 36 was the most high-priced at INR of 12.5 Crore (USD 1.49 million approx). And surely he proves that he is the best among all. Right now, he is the top wicket-taker for MI this season and tied for fourth overall with 18 wickets, averaging an economy rate of 8.49. He also received the Player-of-the-Match award for taking 4 wickets for 26 runs in the away game against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
MI is one of the teams that might be greatly affected by the scheduling changes in the IPL after it was paused for a week on May 10. The five-time champions are still waiting to find out if three of their main overseas players—South Africans Ryan Rickelton and Corbin Bosch, along with England allrounder Will Jacks—will be available.
DC Signing off, Mustafizur Rahman?
The Delhi Capitals (DC) have run into a problem with their signing of Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman for the rest of IPL 2025. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has said they haven't been asked for a no-objection certificate (NOC).
Normally, the IPL announces player signings only after they have received an NOC from the player’s home board. However, BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury mentioned that they have not yet received any request for that.
Mustafizur is a member of the Bangladesh T20I team, which is scheduled to play two T20I series against the UAE and Pakistan. These series overlap with the IPL. Just hours after the IPL announced his signing as a replacement for Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mustafizur left for Dubai with the rest of his team.
Bangladesh will play two T20IS in the UAE on May 17 and 19, and then five matches in Pakistan on May 25, 27, and 30, as well as June 1 and 3. These series conflict with the IPL schedule, as DC’s last three league matches are set for May 18, 21, and 24, followed by playoffs if they qualify.