New Delhi: Australian players reportedly had a narrow escape as they dodged a missile attack from the Indian armed forces while leaving Pakistan after the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025 was suspended earlier this week. Four Australian players left in a charter flight to Dubai from the Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi, hours before it was targeted by India.
As per a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, four Australian players Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Ashton Turner, and Mitchell Owen were evacuated to Dubai from the Rawalpindi airbase in a charter flight merely hours before it was targeted. The Nur Khan airbase was targeted by the Indian forces in retaliation for Pakistan’s drone and missile attacks across the border areas in north and northwest India on Friday night.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) arranged chartered flights for the overseas players to return home after the PSL’s suspension. The flights departed from Rawalpindi and Islamabad to Dubai. The players took flights for their respective countries from Dubai. Hours after the players and support staff left Pakistan for Dubai, India targeted three airbases in Pakistan in a retaliatory mission.
The timing of the charter flights, which carried the overseas players from Pakistan, also proved the Indian armed forces’ claims that Pakistan was using civilian air traffic as a shield amid the conflict between the two countries. The Nur Khan airbase is located close to Pakistan’s military headquarters and is around 10km from Islamabad.
Explosions were heard, and locals witnessed flames coming out of the facility after it was targeted by Indian missiles, as per local media reports. After three days of heightened tensions on the border areas, India and Pakistan announced a ceasefire on Saturday. The tensions between the two countries intensified earlier this week after the Indian armed forces carried out ‘Operation Sindoor’ in response to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.
UAE refuses to host PSL 2025
While the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 was suspended for a week on Friday, PCB also announced that PSL 2025 was postponed indefinitely amid the rising tensions between India and Pakistan. PCB reportedly approached the Emirates Cricket Board to host the remainder of PSL 2025 matches in the UAE. However, their request was turned down by the officials of the ECB.
While there is no confirmation on when will the remainder of the PSL 2025 be conducted, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has already chalked out plans to resume IPL 2025 from next week.
Four Australian players narrowly escaped a missile strike by the Indian armed forces while fleeing from Pakistan on a charter flight from Rawalpindi’s Nur Khan airbase after the Pakistan Super League (PSL) was suspended. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
