IPL LIVE: League's future amid escalating tensions between India, Pakistan

The IPL match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals on Thursday was abandoned midway due to air raid alerts in the neighbouring cities of Jammu and Pathankot, casting a cloud of uncertainty over the remainder of the tournament. Punjab Kings were in a dominant position at 122 for 1 in 10.1 overs when the lights suddenly went out — initially assumed to be a floodlight malfunction. The game had already started later than scheduled, with growing concerns over the escalating cross-border tensions in the region.

As security agencies swung into action, both teams and the packed crowd — around 23,000 spectators at the scenic Dharamsala venue — were safely evacuated from the stadium.

Amid the evacuation, several fans were heard chanting anti-Pakistan slogans as panic and anger spread through the stands.

Before the abrupt halt, Punjab’s opening pair had provided a fiery start — Prabhsimran Singh was unbeaten on 50 off 28 balls, while Priyansh Arya smashed a quickfire 70 off 34 before falling to pacer T Natarajan.

With the situation tense, players and support staff from both franchises will now be transported to Delhi via a special train arranged from Pathankot, roughly 85 km away from Dharamsala.

"We are organising a special train from close to Dharamsala to bring everybody home safely. As of now the match has been called off and the stadium has been evacuated. We will take a call on the tournament's future depending on the situation tomorrow. As of now, players' safety is utmost important. The match couldn't have continued tonight because of the situation. It wasn't safe," says BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla.

It is understood that players of both teams have reached their hotel and will now await more information from the Indian cricket board for future course of action.

Panic has gripped the IPL at the moment and there was uneasiness amongst players of both DC and PBKS even before the game got underway. Since both teams had reached before the airports were closed, there was no clarity on their departure from the hills.

The IPL clash between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals on Thursday was abandoned midway following air raid alerts in the nearby cities of Jammu and Pathankot, triggering serious concerns over the continuation of the tournament amid escalating cross-border tensions.

Punjab Kings were cruising at 122 for 1 in 10.1 overs when the match came to an abrupt halt after a sudden power outage, initially believed to be due to floodlight failure. The game had already been delayed by rain, and shortly after resumption, the entire hill town was plunged into darkness.

Security concerns quickly took precedence as both teams, along with spectators, were evacuated from the stadium as a precautionary measure.

Amid the unfolding situation, a cheerleader shared a video on social media describing the atmosphere as “very scary,” capturing the anxiety that gripped the venue.

As panic grips Indian Premier League (IPL) teams, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) could well be left with no option but to halt the ongoing edition of the tournament. The match between Delhi Capitals (DC) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Dharamsala was halted midway today (May 8) due to the rising tension between India and Pakistan, and, at the time of writing, both teams were safely in the team hotel.

The entire contingent in Dharamsala will be leaving via a special train tomorrow (Friday, May 9) and the Indian cricket board is right now in a huddle to decide the future course of action. An emergent meeting of the IPL Governing Council is underway at the moment. None of the existing IPL venues have been under any kind of threat as of now. However, the BCCI may have to keep the larger sentiment of the nation in mind and halting the tournament, even if temporarily.

It is further understood that overseas players of most franchises are in a state of panic and they would need some serious assurances from the BCCI and the Indian government to stay back in the country for the tournament. As of now, there is no clarity over the game in Lucknow tomorrow (between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru).

The Indian cricket board will proceed further based on the directive they get from the Indian government, and all teams will act as per the guidelines they receive. The Gujarat Titans have already reached Delhi for their game against DC on May 11, and Mumbai Indians will be landing in Ahmedabad tonight for their rescheduled fixture in the afternoon of the same day.

The players of both DC and PBKS have been uneasy ever since the cross-border tensions escalated this week as they reached Dharamsala before the closure of airports was announced. At this moment, arrangements are being put in place to ensure all players, support staff and members of the broadcast crew are evacuated safely from Dharamsala.

Squads:

LSG: Nicholas Pooran, Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), David Miller, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Avesh Khan, Abdul Samad, Aryan Juyal, Akash Deep, Himmat Singh, Manimaran Siddharth, Digvesh Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akash Singh, Shamar Joseph, Prince Yadav, Yuvraj Chaudhary, RS Hangargekar, Arshin Kulkarni, Matthew Breetzke, Mohsin Khan.

RCB: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (c), Swastik Chikara, Mayank Agarwal, Jitesh Sharma, Philip Salt, Manoj Bhandage, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Liam Livingstone, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Dar Salam, Suyash Sharma, Mohit Rathee, Abhinandan Singh.

On the bowling front, LSG have also been inconsistent. Pace prodigy Mayank Yadav has struggled for rhythm since returning from injury, while lapses in fielding and catching have cost the team dearly.

RCB, in contrast, are enjoying one of their most disciplined and effective campaigns. Virat Kohli continues to lead the batting charts with unrelenting consistency, registering seven fifties in 11 innings. His assured starts have allowed Rajat Patidar and Romario Shepherd to flourish in the death overs.

RCB have also bolstered their squad with the inclusion of Mayank Agarwal, who replaces the injured Devdutt Padikkal — a player who had been impressive before being sidelined.

The bowling unit, spearheaded by Josh Hazlewood and Yash Dayal, has delivered in crunch situations, while spinners Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma have kept opposition batters in check.

With form, balance, and momentum on their side, RCB look the more formidable unit. LSG, however, will need to summon something extraordinary to derail Bengaluru’s playoff march.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru will look to seal a playoff spot, while Lucknow Super Giants are desperate to keep their campaign alive when the two sides face off in the IPL on Friday.

With the pressure mounting, LSG captain Rishabh Pant finds himself under scrutiny — not just for his leadership but also for his lean patch with the bat, which has coincided with the team’s late-season slump. LSG have dropped four of their last five matches and now face a must-win scenario in their remaining three games to reach 16 points. In contrast, RCB are riding a wave of momentum, having won five of their last six matches, and a tally of 18 points remains well within reach.

Pant, the highest-paid player from the latest auction, has had a disappointing season. Despite experimenting with his batting position, he has failed to find rhythm, managing a strike rate of just 99.92 — a clear indicator of his struggles.

LSG’s overdependence on their top order — Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, and Nicholas Pooran — has been evident, and that narrative must shift if they are to stage a turnaround.

“The dream is still alive. If we can win our next three matches, we can definitely turn it around. But we can’t always expect the top order to fire,” Pant said after their defeat to Punjab Kings in Dharamsala.

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The IPL match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals here on Thursday was cancelled midway following air raid alerts in neighbouring cities of Jammu and Pathankot, putting the entire league at risk of being called off due to India's ongoing military conflict with Pakistan. The Punjab side was 122 for 1 in 10.1 overs when the lights went out which at first was attributed to floodlight failure. The game started later than scheduled due to rain before the hill town went dark due to .

The teams and the spectators were eventually evacuated from the stadium for their security. The capacity of the picturesque ground here is approximately 23,000 and it was packed to about 80 per cent of it at the time of evacuation.

Prabhsimran Singh was batting at 50 off 28 balls while his opening partner Priyansh Arya made 70 off 34 balls before getting dismissed by pacer T Natarajan before proceedings came to a halt as floodlights went out.

With the cancellation of tonight's match, it is not clear whether the league will proceed any further and it is learnt that a BCCI meeting is currently in progress amid security concerns raised by the participating foreign players.

India launched missile attacks on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir a fortnight after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed.

On Thursday, a blackout was enforced in several districts including Pathankot, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Mohali in Punjab and Union Territory Chandigarh amid air raid alarms and reports of explosion-like sounds in Jammu.