The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season was suspended last week owing to India-Pakistan tensions at the border. A ceasefire was announced on May 10, and hence, the organizers took the call to resume the tournament on May 17 with the RCB versus KKR clash at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

While the revised IPL schedule has put several overseas players’ participation in jeopardy due to national commitments, Australia’s ace pacer Josh Hazlewood will reportedly return to India to play for RCB.

According to Hindustan Times, Hazlewood will soon travel to India to join the RCB squad. Like most other top Australian players, the right-arm quick had returned home after the IPL was suspended for a week.

After the announcement of the revised schedule, there were doubts about the Australian and South African cricketers coming back to India as they are set to begin preparations for the WTC final, scheduled to be held at Lord’s from June 11 to 15.

While doubt over WTC-bound Proteas stars such as Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, and Lungi Ngidi remains, a source close to HT confirmed that Hazlewood will return to India.

The veteran seamer, who has claimed 18 wickets in 10 matches for RCB this season, missed their last league match due to a shoulder injury but doubts about his fitness were erased once he was named in Australia's WTC final squad.

"Yes, Josh will travel to India. We are in discussion with the authorities about the exact date of his arrival," the source said. As Hazlewood's arrival date is not yet confirmed, his availability for the KKR match remains doubtful.

Earlier, Cricket Australia had extended its full support to players who choose not to return to India for the IPL.

"Following the announcement that the IPL will resume on Saturday, Cricket Australia will support players in their individual decisions whether to return to India or not," CA said in a statement.

The rearranged IPL playoffs will now coincide with the three-match ODI series between England and West Indies, starting May 29. The remaining two ODIs will be played on June 1 and 3, respectively.

Qualifier 1 and Eliminator of the IPL 2025 season will be played on May 29 and 30, respectively, while Qualifier 2 will take place on June 1.

Romario Shepherd has joined the RCB squad before Saturday's encounter against KKR. As of now, Cricket West Indies has not clarified Shepherd's participation in the league after May 29. England's Liam Livingstone has also linked up with RCB, while Jacob Bethell has already rejoined the team.

Bethell has also been named for England's upcoming home white ball series against the Caribbean side, whereas Livingstone was dropped from both the ODI and T20I sides.

The England Cricket Board (ECB) has issued no-objection certificates (NOCs) to all players participating in the IPL until May 25, the original date of the IPL 2025 final. As a result, Bethell was not named in England's squad for the four-day Test match against Zimbabwe that starts May 29.

Defending champions KKR are among the few franchises that have remained unaffected by the revised IPL schedule. All their fit players have joined the squad before the RCB fixture, said the franchise.