The IPL match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals at Dharamshala was called off on Thursday after air raid alerts in neighbouring states due to Pakistan’s unprovoked attack.
The 58th league of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals at Dharamshala was called off on Thursday after 10.1 overs of play following air raid alerts in neighbouring Indian cities of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.
A video went viral showing one of the IPL cheerleaders describing the panic and chaos at the stadium as the players and spectators were being evacuated. “The whole stadium was evacuated in the middle of the game. It was very scary. Everyone was screaming that the bombs are coming,” she said in the video.
“It is still very, very scary. We want to really go out of Dharamshala. I hope the IPL people are gonna look after us. It was very, very scary. I do not know why I’m not crying, I think I’m just in shock,” she said in the video as the stadium went dark.
Punjab was cruising at 122 for the loss of one wicket with Priyansh Arya scoring 70 from 34 balls and Prabhsimran Singh scoring 50 off 28. However, as skipper Shreyas Iyer, the lights went off, and a floodlight failure was reported.
However, the team and the assembled fans at the 23,000-capacity stadium in Dharamshala were eventually evacuated from the stadium under tight security as Pakistan launched drone strikes at Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan. The teams will be brought to Delhi aboard a special flight from Pathankot, which is 85 km away from Dharamshala.
The cancellation of the match has now also put the entire league at the risk of being called off as India’s military standoff with Pakistan escalates. Foreign players participating in the IPL have expressed a desire to head home at the earliest, sources told news agency PTI.
PL chairman Arun Singh Dhumal, while speaking to reporters, said the situation was being reviewed. “It is an evolving situation. We haven’t received any directive from the government. Obviously the decision will be taken keeping all the logistics in mind,” he said.
India Strikes Islamabad, Lahore In Retaliation
India struck Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, as well as Lahore and Sialkot, late on Thursday after thwarting multiple attacks on Indian cities, including Jammu, Jaisalmer and Pathankot, which reported intense artillery shelling. India also downed a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet in Rajasthan
Following the unprovoked and unsuccessful attack by Pakistan on Indian cities, blackouts were imposed in Srinagar, Jammu and Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir, Amritsar and Jalandhar in Punjab, Bhuj in Gujarat and other cities key areas along the border.
This came after India foiled Pakistan military’s attempts to target military installations in 15 cities in the northern and western parts of the country using missiles and drones as tensions between the two neighbours mounted amid fears of a wider conflict.