'If it doesn't happen now, they'll have to look for September' - Malan weighs in on IPL 2025 hosting options

Dawid Malan (source: Getty image/ IPLT20)

The former England cricketer believed the remainder of the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 will resume in September if the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are unable to conduct the tournament in a week's time. The IPL 2025 was suspended for a week due to the rising tensions in the India and Pakistan border.

The overseas players of all ten franchises have already been on their way back home. The top-order batter reckoned that if the BCCI are unable to host the remaining fixtures in India or Sri Lanka, then only the September window can be used. India will tour England for a five-match Test series which will begin on June 20 and so the remainder of needs to be concluded as early as possible.

“If it doesn’t happen in India or Sri Lanka in a week’s time like that, I suppose they will start in September. They have a massive Test series coming up against England in a few months’ time, and the IPL has to finish before that or start after that; logistically, it is quite a headache for the organisers," Dawid Malan said at Al Arabiya.

"I guess they have to wait and see how next week plays out in terms of the safety concerns of players and people of both countries,” the batter added.

South Africa is not an option: Malan

The left-handed batter insisted that the tournament should happen in India, the UAE, or Sri Lanka. The 37-year-old admitted that South Africa cannot be taken into consideration for hosting the league because of the winter.

“It’s not the first time it has happened with the IPL, not in terms of severity, that has been going on between the two countries, but COVID hit back in 2020/2021, and they moved the IPL to the UAE midway through," said the England player.

"There are options they have played in South Africa before. Realistically, if they have to start in a week, they have to do it in India or the UAE. South Africa wouldn’t be an option, considering it will be winter there,” he concluded.