Power, Politics and the End of Play: Why the IPL Suspension Should be a Turning Point for Global Cricket

For more than seven decades, the relationship between India and Pakistan has been defined by conflict, mistrust, and a series of deadly flashpoints. Wars, insurgencies, border skirmishes, and the bitter struggle over Kashmir have shaped how the two nations see each other and how they conduct themselves beyond the battlefield. 

This conflict doesn’t pause for sport. It bleeds into it. Cricket has never been immune; from cancelled tours and boycotts to visa denials and political statements disguised as fixture lists. And now, amid one of the most serious escalations in recent years, the fallout has reached the world’s most lucrative cricket league. The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been suspended due to the worsening security situation and political tensions with Pakistan.

This isn’t just another chapter in a long history of missed matches and broken bilateral ties. It is a turning point that raises uncomfortable but necessary questions: can sport ever really be separated from the political and historical realities in which it is played? And if not, what does that mean for the game's future in South Asia and beyond?

A Flashpoint Decades in the Making

For those who have somehow missed it, India and Pakistan share a long and fraught history marked by wars, border disputes, and decades of deep political mistrust. The two nuclear-armed neighbours have cycled through repeated periods of tension, punctuated by brief moments of calm, though the hostility has rarely subsided beneath the surface. Peace, when it comes, is fragile. And it never lasts long.

Sport, particularly cricket, has often been caught in the crossfire of this wider conflict. Diplomatic rows have led to cancelled tours, players denied visas, and cricketing boycotts that mirror political hostilities. The symbolic weight of any India-Pakistan match means the stakes are always higher than the scoreboard pressure. 

The current escalation goes beyond just a diplomatic spat. A recent militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir has reignited military tensions, with both sides trading sharp rhetoric and conducting retaliatory strikes. The situation is fluid and dangerous, with regional analysts warning that it may be one of the most precarious standoffs in recent years. Against this backdrop, the suspension of the IPL isn't just a matter of scheduling, but a reflection of a broader geopolitical crisis that has once again reached a boiling point.

Chief among them is Kashmir, a region both nations claim, and over which they've fought multiple wars and countless skirmishes. The Line of Control, which slices through Kashmir, remains one of the most militarised and volatile borders in the world.

Every few years, a new flashpoint emerges. The Kargil War in 1999, the Mumbai attacks in 2008, the Uri attack in 2016, and the Pulwama bombing in 2019. Each of these triggered new rounds of diplomatic breakdowns and public hostilities. Military standoffs, tit-for-tat airstrikes, and a hardened media landscape have only intensified the distrust. And each time, cricket has paid the price.

The current escalation is particularly serious. A recent militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir has once again led to retaliatory strikes and heightened alert along the border. Both sides have mobilised forces, and inflammatory rhetoric is dominating political discourse. The suspension of the IPL is as much a sports story as it is a reminder of how close the tensions are to tipping over the edge.

A History of Cross-Border Cold

To understand the present, we need to look back. India and Pakistan haven’t played a full bilateral series in over a decade. India last toured Pakistan in 2006. A brief limited-overs series followed in 2012-13, but since then, nothing. Political tensions and security concerns, particularly after the 2008 Mumbai attacks, have meant that even the prospects of restoring cricketing relations remain unlikely. 

India has steadfastly refused to tour Pakistan, often citing government policy. But in doing so, it has forced all India-Pakistan encounters to happen only in ICC events, and even then, only at neutral venues. This year’s ICC Champions Trophy laid bare the extent of this divide. Despite Pakistan being named the host, India refused to travel. Eventually, the ICC relented, allowing India to play all of its matches, including the final, in the UAE, while the rest of the tournament continued in Pakistan.

That ‘hybrid model’ set a dangerous precedent. One team refusing to play in the host country, yet still allowed to compete on its own terms? The choice for the Pakistan Cricket Board was clear: compromise or lose hosting rights altogether. But the decision only further cemented the notion that the BCCI, and by extension, Indian cricket, calls the shots in world cricket.

Sport and Politics: An Impossible Separation

The old saying that sport and politics shouldn’t mix has never rung more hollow. India–Pakistan cricket has always been political. Matches are hyped beyond reason, players are burdened with the weight of nationalism, and governments often treat the outcome as political currency.

But what we’re seeing now goes beyond symbolic rivalry. This is systemic separation. Pakistani players have been absent from the IPL since its inaugural season in 2008, and there’s no sign that it will change anytime soon.

Cricket should be a bridge. That’s the ideal. And occasionally, it is. But those moments are becoming increasingly rare. In practice, the game has become a pawn in a larger geopolitical and ideological contest. It’s become a symbol that’s all too easy to weaponise.

The cricketing world can’t afford to stay silent in moments like these. It should speak with one voice, calling on political leaders to find a peaceful resolution. If the sport is to stand for anything beyond entertainment and profit, then it must stand for something when it matters most.