Two New Zealand cricketers, Mitchell Santner and Bevon-John Jacobs, remain in India despite rising concerns over regional tensions and their desire to return home. The pair are among the last of the Kiwi players still in the subcontinent following a period of geopolitical uncertainty between India and Pakistan, which led to the temporary suspension of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the indefinite postponement of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
While several other New Zealand players, such as Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, and Trent Boult, made it back to Auckland over the weekend, Santner and Jacobs are still in India, where the IPL has now been scheduled to resume on May 17. According to Heath Mills, chief executive of the New Zealand Cricket Players Association, the two players are keen to return but remain under the influence of their IPL franchise, the Mumbai Indians, who are reportedly hopeful that the tournament will continue as planned.
“Unfortunately they’re still there, they’d much rather be home,” Mill informed during RNZ’s Morning Report. He added that the association is maintaining regular contact with both players and is offering health and well-being support. “We are really in the hands of the Indian Premier League and the team owners,” he said.
The IPL was halted last Friday after consultations between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), team franchises, and security agencies. The decision came in the wake of escalating conflict between India and Pakistan, with both nations engaging in their most intense fight in nearly 30 years. The IPL governing council has now confirmed the league will resume with 12 remaining group matches across six cities, including Bengaluru, Jaipur, Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad. The final is scheduled for June 3, 2025; playoff venues to be announced later.
The return of the IPL follows a ceasefire agreement reached between India and Pakistan over the weekend. The ceasefire came after a month of escalating violence that included cross-border shelling, drone incursions, and airstrikes. The conflict was triggered by a deadly attack in Kashmir, which India blamed on Pakistan-based militants. Islamabad denied the claims, but tensions flared across the region, prompting diplomatic intervention from the United States to broker peace.
Meanwhile, the PSL remains in limbo. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) initially attempted to relocate the final matches of the tournament to the United Arab Emirates, but those plans were scrapped following an advisory from Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The PCB subsequently announced the tournament would be paused indefinitely, stating that cricket must take “a respectful pause” in light of the ongoing conflict.
Nine other current or former Black Caps involved in the PSL—including Kane Williamson, Tim Seifert, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Kyle Jamieson, and Colin Munro—have already returned home. These players had traveled to Dubai just before the postponement of the tournament and managed to depart safely.
The situation highlights the growing challenges cricketers face when competing in international leagues amid global instability. While the IPL’s return suggests some stability has returned to the region, the conditions remain precarious, especially for foreign players navigating franchise obligations and personal safety concerns.
For Santner and Jacobs, the wait continues. With the ceasefire still described as “fragile” by diplomats, their eventual return to New Zealand is dependent on how the situation evolves in the coming days. Until then, they remain tethered to an uncertain tournament in a region recovering from the brink of open conflict.
