The Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals IPL 2025 match in Dharamsala was witness to a never-before-seen scene as it got called off after blackout in the city. This happened after PBKS, opting to bat first, had put on 122/1 in 10.1 overs.
One by one, floodlights in Dharamshala turned on, causing the disturbance. When news of drone strikes in nearby regions like Jammu, Udhampur, and Pathankot spread, it became clear how severe the situation was, even though fans and the media initially believed it was a power outage.
IPL chairman Arun Dhumal was seen assisting with the evacuation to protect the players, staff, and fans. Despite their apprehension, the crowd left HPCA Stadium in a controlled way, and the evacuation was completed swiftly and silently. The IPL 2025 match was officially canceled shortly after the players were taken to safety.
The official reason given by the IPL 2025 broadcasters was 'technical failure' but later on IPL chairman Arun Dhumal told news agency IANS: “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.”
There was 'some panic' following the cancellation of the match, according to a report in The Indian Express. The fans were evacuated after one of the floodlight towers went out at approximately 9:20 p.m. Arun Dhumal, the IPL chairman, was spotted directing spectators to disperse from the stadium in a polite way.
"We were told about attacks in nearby Pathankot. We are asked to go back to the hotel immediately. There was some panic... Delhi Capitals were seated in the Punjab team bus and vice-versa. We wanted to go out but there was a huge crowd. The foreign players were worried, with many of them wanting to return home,” Indian Express report quoted a player saying.
According to a source cited in the story, the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, the hosts, decided to cancel the PBKS vs. DC match after receiving a call from a senior cricket official.
In an emergency meeting on Friday, the BCCI agreed to permanently halt the current Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season due to the growing military confrontation between India and Pakistan, sources informed IANS.
