Despite the increasing tension between India and Pakistan following missile strikes conducted by the Indian army early Wednesday, IPL 2025 will proceed as planned. According to the Indian government, Operation Sindoor was launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir that resulted in the deaths of 26 civilians back in April.
As of now, there has been no public statement from the BCCI, but questions have been raised about the status of this week’s two IPL matches in Dharamshala. These games are set to be played by Punjab Kings (PBKS), who use the stadium as their secondary home ground, against Delhi Capitals (DC) on May 8 and Mumbai Indians (MI) on May 11.
After their narrow defeat against Gujarat Titans (GT) at home, MI was meant to arrive in Dharamshala on Thursday. However, due to the recent closure of Kangra airport, it seems that their travel plans have been put on hold. According to PTI, even the nearest airport in Chandigarh has been temporarily shut down along with 18 other airports in the north and west regions of India including Srinagar, Leh, Jammu, Amritsar, Pathankot, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Shimla and Jamnagar.
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Based on Dhumal, the IPL chairman, the match between PBKS and DC on Thursday evening is expected to take place as planned.
Dhumal from ESPNcricinfo stated that the team will follow the advisory of the Indian government. He further confirmed that as of Wednesday morning, no official directive had been issued by the government. Dhumal also mentioned that the IPL operations team is working with relevant government agencies to determine a plan for transporting teams in and out of Dharamshala. It should be noted that PBKS has been using Dharamshala as their base since last week, and recently emerged victorious in their home game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Sunday.
When questioned about the potential relocation of the PBKS and MI match on May 11, Dhumal stated that the IPL team was currently addressing logistical concerns. He assured that they were also considering backup plans in case alternative arrangements were required.
