New Delhi: Australian women’s team captain and Mitchell Starc’s wife Alyssa Healy recently recalled her terrifying experience in Dharamshala after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Delhi Capitals (DC) was abruptly called off last week. The match that was being played at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala was abandoned midway through the Punjab Kings’ innings due to escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.
While BCCI cited significant technical failure as the reason behind abandoning the game, the match was called off after Pakistan attacked the Pathankot airbase in Punjab, which is less than 100km away from Dharamshala. Players, fans and all support staff members were immediately evacuated from the stadium after the game was called off, and IPL 2025 was suspended for a week the following day.
Healy was at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala for the game to support her husband Starc, and his team Delhi Capitals. She recently recalled the harrowing experience of leaving the ground and reaching the team hotel in the city after the game was called off all of a sudden. Healy revealed all the players, their family members and support staff were asked to board the team bus quickly.
“It was a surreal experience. All of a sudden a couple of the light towers went out and we were just sitting there up the top waiting… we’re a large group of family and extra support staff and the next minute the guy who wrangles the group of us and gets us on the bus came up and his face was white,” Healy said on The Willow Talk Podcast.
“He was like, ‘we need to go right now’. Then another guy came out and his face was white and he grabbed one of the children and said, ‘we need to leave right now’. We were like, ‘what’s going on?’ We weren’t told anything. We had no idea. Next minute we are being shuffled into this room which was like a holding pen. All the boys were in there,” she added.
Healy recalled how DC batter Faf du Plessis was not even able to wear his shoes as the entire group was asked to move quickly. She revealed Starc told her that a nearby town had been hit by a missile amid the India-Pakistan tensions. They were all asked to board a van, which took them to their team hotel.
“Faf du Plessis didn’t even have shoes on. We were all just waiting there, looking stressed. I said to Mitch, ‘what’s going on?’ He said the town 60km away had just been smacked by some of the missiles so there was a complete blackout in the area. That’s why the lights were off because the Dharamsala stadium was like a beacon at that point in time. All of a sudden we’re crammed into vans and off we go back to the hotel. There was madness,” Healy recalled.
Alyssa Healy, the wife of Mitchell Starc sharing her horror experience in Dharamshala.
“The guy came out, his face was white. He grabbed one of the children and said, “We need to leave right now.” 🤯pic.twitter.com/XNMbVeBJG4
— 𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙞 (@CallMeSheri1) May 13, 2025
The Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings players, along with the support staff and the other staff members, travelled via a specially arranged train to Delhi safely the next day. While the Indian players left for their homes, the overseas players too flew back to their respective countries the same day. However, they are set to return this week.
IPL 2025 to resume on May 17
The Indian and the overseas players have been asked to rejoin their respective squads as the IPL 2025 is set to resume on May 17 after India and Pakistan announced a ceasefire. The remaining 13 league matches will be conducted across six venues selected by the BCCI – Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Mumbai.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Kolkata Knight Riders in a home game on May 17 when the season resumes. While the dates for the playoff matches have been announced, the BCCI is yet to confirm the venues. The IPL 2025 final will be played on June 03 after it was pushed by over a week from the original date of May 25.
Mitchell Starc’s partner Alyssa Healy was in Dharamshala when the IPL 2025 match between Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings at the HPCA Stadium was called off. Healy recalled her terrifying experience in Dharamshala. IPL Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
