New Delhi: The Indian Premier League (IPL) match featuring Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals will take place Thursday evening in Dharamshala as scheduled despite the ongoing tensions at the borders.
The match will take place in the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association’s stadium in Dharamsala, which is one of the regions on high alert following India’s missile strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Both the teams reached Dharamsala three-four days ago and have been practicing at the stadium, a source in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) told ThePrint.
However, the Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians match, originally scheduled to be hosted in Dharamshala on 11 May, was shifted to Ahmedabad, according to a PTI report.
Mumbai Indians were scheduled to fly to Chandigarh on Wednesday evening, and supposed to fly to Dharamshala the next day.
Logistical hurdles are expected ahead for the IPL as Dharamsala airport is among the 18 airbases shut due to heightened tensions between India and Pakistan. Chandigarh, which is the nearest alternate airport for Dharamsala, is also shut till 10 May.
Delhi Capitals will have to figure out how to return to their home city from Dharamshala as they have a match scheduled Sunday (11 May) against Gujarat Titans.
“As the airbase is shut, we are looking at other possible travel methods for the players and the support staff,” the above-mentioned source revealed. “Going ahead, if needed, we will adhere to the protocols provided by the government.”
Additionally, the BCCI is in direct touch with the government as the situation continues to evolve.
India carried out missile strikes on nine terror hotspots in Pakistan as a retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack which left 26 civilians dead. Following Operation Sindoor, 18 airports in the northern and western parts of the country, including Srinagar, Leh, Jammu, Amritsar, Pathankot, Chandigarh, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Shimla, Dharamshala and Jamnagar, have been temporarily shut.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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