Australian batter Jake Fraser-McGurk has decided against joining his IPL franchise Delhi Capitals (DC) for the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season.

The tournament was suspended last week owing to India-Pakistan conflict at the border. A ceasefire was announced on Saturday (May 10), and hence, the organizers took the call to resume the cash-rich league on May 17.

After Jake’s manager informed DC about his decision on Wednesday (May 14), the franchise signed Bangladesh's left-arm fast-bowler Mustafizur Rahman.

According to an IANS report, a majority of overseas players from Australia, especially in DC and Punjab Kings (PBKS) set-ups, were left terrified after the game was called off in Dharamshala last week.

“Jake was shaken more than most overseas players in Dharamshala at that time. It's not surprising (his decision to pull out of IPL 2025), given that he is the youngest of the overseas players in the DC setup. Moreover, he was quite uneasy the day before the game happened in Dharamshala, and then obviously after we were evacuated, we made the subsequent trip back to Delhi with others.”

“In all, he wasn't feeling things in a good way, and I am very thankful I was there to help guide him through all of that. I mean, it was hard enough for a 50-year-old, well-travelled man like me, let alone a young kid. I was there in a support role of a player who is more like a son to me than a cricketer,” Shannon Young, Fraser-McGurk's childhood coach, who was in Dharamshala at that time, told IANS.

This agency also reported that a few of the overseas players from both teams, especially from Australia, had expressed concerns over playing in Dharamshala on May 8, as cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan escalated, but they were somehow persuaded by the tournament authorities to take the field.

But as drone and air strikes from Pakistan led to blackouts in Jammu, Udhampur and Pathankot, the match was called off after just 10.1 overs of play, and players were taken back to their hotels under tight security. A day later, the BCCI arranged a special train to evacuate everyone related to IPL to New Delhi.

Melbourne-based Young, who also coaches Netherlands skipper Scott Edwards, offered further explanation on why there's still great fear and reluctance amongst overseas players and coaches to be back in India so soon for the remainder of IPL 2025.

“The entire Delhi Capitals management and staff showed incredible care and concern for our safety immediately following the developments in Dharamshala. They were truly amazing during those uncertain and concerning times.”

“But I must tell you that open warfare around 80 km away from where we were in Dharamshala is just such a foreign concept to overseas people, including the Australians. I know for some Indians 60-80 kms is a long way away, but in Australia, we travel 60 kms in 45 minutes, so it's way too close for comfort.”

The report further stated that Anton Roux, DC's fielding coach, was also unsure about returning to India if the league were to restart again. But as per his Instagram account on Wednesday, Roux posted that he was on his way back to India to rejoin DC, who are amongst the seven teams in the race for IPL 2025 playoffs.

IPL sources have also told IANS that left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc is also hesitant to come back for DC's remaining games, while the status of Faf du Plessis and Tristan Stubbs rejoining the franchise is ambiguous.

As far as PBKS is concerned, there's no word yet on who amongst their overseas players will be back for IPL 2025. The franchise has been given a new home base in Jaipur.

(With IANS Inputs)