Examples where the league has been stopped before

IPL 2025 has reportedly been suspended indefinitely amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan. It all started with the PBKS vs MI tie moved to Ahmedabad from Dharamsala following Operation Sindoor and the shutting down of airports until May 10. However, things took a turn when Pakistan targeted cities along the Indian border on Thursday, forcing the PBKS vs DC tie in Dharamsala to be abandoned mid-way.

When IPL was paused / relocated previously

This isn’t the first time that an IPL season has been paused or relocated. In fact, it has happened 4 times in the past.

1. IPL 2009

The entire season in 2009 was shifted to South Africa due to the Lok Sabha General elections that was held in that year. Since the BCCI did not receive any security guarantees from the Government of India as IPL 2009 dates were clashing with the elections, the board was forced to relocate the league to SA.

2. IPL 2014

In a similar move as to what happened in 2009, IPL was conducted partially in the UAE and the rest in India in 2014. The reason was once again the Lok Sabha General Elections.

3. IPL 2020

The third instance occurred in 2020 when COVID-19 struck. A complete lockdown that was enforced across India in March 2020 meant that IPL had to be postponed. As a result, the entire league was shifted to the UAE, with players and teams being mandated to maintain a strict bio-bubble, something that also carried on to the next edition as well.

4. IPL 2021

In 2021, the IPL season was forced to be shifted to UAE mid-way due to multiple players being infected by COVID. This happened despite the BCCI trying its best to ensure that players adhered to the strict bio-bubble. However, they were forced to suspend the league temporarily. Match 30 marked the resumption of the league in UAE.