India targeting ‘our precious guests’, accuses PCB chairman; Pakistan Super League T20 moved to UAE

T20 leagues in India and Pakistan have been hit as both countries are on high alert following Operation Sindoor, launched by India in response to the Pahalgam terror attacks of April 22.

 

On the night of May 8, the IPL match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala was called off after just 10.1 overs of play. The floodlights went dark, following which fans were evacuated from the stands.

 

The BCCI apologised for the cancellation and blamed the power outage on technical failure. News agencies later said that the outage could have been triggered by blackout protocols that were in force in border states following Pakistan’s widespread attacks during the night.

 

A video shared by an IPL cheerleader from the field showed that the situation was quite tense, with fears about the stadium being targeted. She described the situation as “very scary” and added that they “wanted to go out of Dharamshala”.

 

The Pakistan Super League (PSL), too, is hit. During the cross-border attacks on May 8, a drone, alleged to be of Indian origin, fell near Rawalpindi stadium where the Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi were due to play. The match was called off. AFP reports said that foreign players did not want to stay in Pakistan in light of the attacks.

 

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the interior minister, first met foreign players and then called an emergency meeting of the board, which then voted to move all remaining matches to the United Arab Emirates. A detailed schedule will be issued later.

 

The Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA) is in touch with all players, so are country boards. The Bangladesh Cricket Board said that it was in touch with its players in the PSL; Bangladesh has no representation in IPL 2025. Cricket West Indies and Cricket Australia said that they were in touch with the PCB and BCCI regarding the safety of their players.

 

"We continue to closely monitor the situation in Pakistan and India, including obtaining regular advice and updates from the Australian Government, the PCB, BCCI and local government authorities, and maintaining communication with our players and support staff currently in the region," said a statement from Cricket Australia.

 

Naqvi said that the league was being moved to the UAE “so that the domestic as well as foreign cricketers, who are our precious guests, can be saved from the possible reckless targeting by India”.

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