New Delhi: Indian Premier League (IPL) teams Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Delhi Capitals (DC) safely reached Delhi on Friday evening after taking part in an abandoned game in Dharamsala on Thursday. The two teams were in the picturesque town of Himachal Pradesh for their IPL 2025 fixture, but what followed next turned out to be quite dramatic. The game was cancelled midway, and the authorities evacuated the team and spectators from the HPCA Stadium in a jiffy.
With the ongoing military stand-off between India and Pakistan, the government shut several airports in the northern and western regions of the nation, including the ones in Dharamsala and its nearby towns like Pathankot, Kangra, and Chandigarh. This meant that the two teams couldn’t return by air and were eventually stuck. By this time, the next clash at the venue, which was between PBKS and Mumbai Indians (MI), had already been relocated to Ahmedabad.
Following the cancellation of the Thursday fixture, the BCCI faced the enormous responsibility of bringing back the players, production crew, and officials safe and sound to Delhi, the only northern Indian city right now with active air operations. A few media reports quoted some officials talking about the board arranging a special train, but it wasn’t quite clear where they would board it from.
The BCCI kept the whole operation of their evacuation from Dharamsala completely under wraps, and while some reported that the teams travelled to Pathankot via buses to board the train, some claimed that it was Jalandhar. The nearest Amb Andaura station of Una was also reported to be a boarding point. Nevertheless, the two teams expressed their gratitude towards the BCCI and the Indian Ministry of Railways for their safe evacuation amid the tense situation.
“Grateful to all for swift action ensuring everyone’s safety! Standing together – Desh ke Vaaste,” PBKS wrote on their social media handle while posting a long, thankful note. “We couldn’t have asked for a safer and more secure return, all thanks to @RailMinIndia and @BCCI,” DC said while reposting the travel video of the two teams shared by IPL on the internet.
Grateful to all for swift action ensuring everyone’s safety! 🙌🏻
Standing together – Desh ke Vaaste 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/o9R4RFxXxC
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) May 9, 2025
We couldn’t have asked for a safer and more secure return, all thanks to @RailMinIndia and @BCCI 🙌pic.twitter.com/t1KqgfQO0x
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) May 9, 2025
“Thank you, @RailMinIndia, for arranging a special Vande Bharat train on such short notice to ferry the players, support staff, commentators, production crew members, and operations staff to New Delhi. We deeply appreciate your swift response,” the IPL had said with the video.
Thank you, @RailMinIndia, for arranging a special Vande Bharat train on such short notice to ferry the players, support staff, commentators, production crew members, and operations staff to New Delhi.
We deeply appreciate your swift response. 🙌🏽@AshwiniVaishnaw | @JayShah |… pic.twitter.com/tUwzc5nGWD
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 9, 2025
Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals were air-locked in Dharamsala amid the rising India-Pakistan tensions after which the BCCI arranged a special Vande Bharat train for their evacuation to Delhi. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
