The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 will get underway on May 17, but it's not plain sailing for all franchises. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who are second on the points table, have been hit hard by the release of England's ODI and T20I squads for the West Indies tour. The bilateral series is in direct conflict with the last stage of the IPL season, including playoffs.

RCB will lose two of their most important overseas players, Phil Salt and Liam Livingstone, to international duty. Both are members of England's white-ball teams, and their loss is at a time when RCB is seeking to build momentum into the knockout stages. The team has only three games left before the playoffs, so every player at their disposal is important to their cause.

Phil Salt has been an asset at the top of the order, offering fast starts and assisting in setting the tone in the powerplay. Liam Livingstone, whose explosive middle-order batting and useful spin bowling have been a major asset, is another player who has now gone. Their loss now compels RCB to think about reserve options and reassess their game plan under pressure.

England Squad for West Indies Tour Raises IPL Alarm

ODI Squad: Brook (C), Root, Archer, Atkinson, Banton, Bethell, Buttler, Carse, Duckett, Hartley, Jacks, Mahmood, Potts, Overton, Rashid, and Smith.
T20I Squad: Brook (C), Rehan, Banton, Bethell, Buttler, Carse, Dawson, Duckett, Jacks, Mahmood, Potts, Overton, Rashid, Salt, and Luke Wood.

England Unveil their White-Ball Squad for West Indies Series in Summer

The squad is set to face the West Indies in both ODIs and T20Is, with the series set to start on May 29. pic.twitter.com/e9kiPM24ID

— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) May 13, 2025

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The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has indicated clearly that national commitments are more important than IPL commitments. With other franchises losing England players as well, the balance of the tournament could be significantly altered. For RCB, this is a test of bench strength and flexibility. Losing Salt and Livingstone at this point could either throw their campaign off track or result in a fierce comeback with new domestic talent emerging.

South Africa has announced a strong 15-member team for the World Test Championship (WTC) final 2025 against reigning champions Australia, which will be hosted at Lord's Cricket Ground from June 11 to 15, 2025. Led by captain Temba Bavuma, the Proteas are ready to make history in their inaugural WTC final appearance after securing their berth with a percentage of 55.56 in the 2023-25 cycle, featuring a 2-0 series victory over Sri Lanka in late 2024. The announcement, which was declared on May 13, 2025, is part of South Africa's attempt to earn the prestigious title at the 'Home of Cricket.'

The team is made up of a good mixture of players that are both experienced and young. Bavuma is the captain, and in the batting lineup, you can see Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, and David Bedingham.  The pace bowling department, which is the backbone of South Africa's success, consists of Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, and Marco Jansen, who is also the all-rounder depth alongside Wiaan Mulder. Keshav Maharaj, who is the sole spinner, will be important on a Lord's track that tends to support spin towards the later part of the game, while Gerald Coetzee brings firepower to the bowling division. Kyle Verreynne and Heinrich Klaasen are expected to do wicketkeeping, with Liam Stubbs and Dane Paterson completing the team.

Australia, at the top of the WTC table with a percentage of 62.50 following their dominant 3-1 series victory over India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, will provide a stiff challenge with their veteran team guided by Pat Cummins. As both sides are famed for their strong bowling attack and fighting batsmen, the final will prove to be an engaging one and a historic occasion for South Africa as they seek to chisel their name on the WTC mace.

South Africa Squad for WTC Final 2025

South Africa Squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Gerald Coetzee, Kyle Verreynne, Heinrich Klaasen, David Bedingham, Liam Stubbs, Dane Paterson.

Also Read: IPL 2025: List of overseas players who might miss remaining matches, Know the reason why?

South Africa will have a pre-tournament match against an XI of England during the first part of June before getting battle-fit for the Australians in this history-making Test.