The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals, being played at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala, was called off on Thursday night, 10.1 overs into the first innings.
With the tension between the two neighbours threatening to escalate into a full-fledged war, doubts are being raised whether the tournament will continue, but BCCI officials dismissed such notions and said it is an evolving situation and a decision will be taken on the basis of how things develop in the next few days.
The reason initially given by the local authorities for calling off the PBKS vs DC match was the malfunctioning of floodlights, as they whisked the two squads away and evacuated the 20,000 spectators from the stadium.
The Punjab Kings v Delhi Capitals match (Match#58) in Tata IPL was forced to be abandoned due to a significant technical failure at the HPCA stadium in Dharamsala. Due to a power outage in the area, one of the light towers at the HPCA stadium malfunctioned. BCCI regrets the inconvenience caused to the in-stadium attendees.
IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal later said the match was called off as a precautionary measure because of the air strikes by Pakistani forces on Jammu, in the neighbouring state of Jammu & Kashmir, and Jaisalmer in the western state of Rajasthan, both close to the border with Pakistan.
The attempted strike, involving drones and missiles, triggered blackouts and sirens across several areas in Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, and Rajasthan. Authorities urged residents to remain indoors and vigilant as emergency protocols were activated.
Yes, the match has been called off as a precautionary step, because there are some incidents which happened in Jammu, I believe. That's what we got to know, so we thought it’s wise to call off the game.
Earlier in the day, the IPL governing council decided to move the match between Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians, scheduled to be played on May 11 in Dharamsala, to Ahmedabad in the Western region, because the airports and airways in the Northern region have been closed due to mounting tension between India and Pakistan after terrorist killed 26 tourists in Pahalgam in Jammu & Kashmir.
Considering that the BCCI has already decided to shift a match out of Dharamsala, questions are being raised on why the BCCI went ahead with the PBKS vs DC match, considering the developing situation.
Though the BCCI officials are trying to brush off the incident as a precautionary measure, it has not gone down well with some of the foreign players who are worried about their safety, considering the war-like situation.
Meanwhile, with the IPL and BCCI administrators non-committal about the remaining matches in the tournament, players from Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru are going ahead with their preparations for Friday's match at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
It is a crucial match for both teams -- RCB are trying to extend their lead and inch closer to the playoffs. LSG, meanwhile, are also in a must-win situation with
