IPL Chaos: 25,000 Fans Evacuated Amid Airstrike Alert. Dharamsala, India — As the IPL world trembled on Thursday night and cricket fans were clenching their fists in Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals match abruptly called due to multiple air raid alert in and around Jammu, Pathankot. No one inside the stadium that was packed to over 25,000 fans were aware of the danger.
During an important strategic timeout, the chairman of IPL, Arun Dhumal, said regional sirens had gone off due to drone attacks by Pakistan. With seconds left to act, Dhumal conducted a stadium lockdown on the fly.
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Fans Unaware, But Evacuation Began
In the interest of not creating panic, a public announcement only stated “Technical floodlight failure”-the real issue would envelop everyone. “When the crowd first heard, ”Dhumal as quoted by media “The naional crowd did not intend to go” But over there in background police cricket authorities and Dhumal move fast to clear the ground within 30 mins.
Fans were also seen to be pushed away from the ground with calls to leave by co-owner Preity Zinta of Punjab Kings. Dharamsala, the team’s 2nd home, was made into a buzzword of planned emergency response.
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A Week’s Suspension, Tough Decisions Ahead
The earlier Pahalgam terror attack, the anger between India and Pakistan shot high, and the IPL called off the matches for a week. But Dhumal adds, “This wasn’t my worst night, COVID threw a whole new level of issues at me. Another type of trial is stopping a live game for security, but it is also different.
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Players Moved Under Tight Security
On a heavy police escort, by Friday morning, players and staff were shifted from Dharamsala to Hoshiarpur in 40-50 small vehicles. They then moved to Jalandhar and caught an express train to Delhi to keep everyone safe.
As many speculate about the cancellation of the Asia Cup and playing the remaining 16 IPL matches in September, Dhumal says to be patient. “Right now, like everyone, we are with our armed forces. At the right time, we will see where this tournament goes,” he said.
This night will go down in IPL history not only for its cricket but for extraordinary crisis management — a moment where sport met national security head-on, and safety came first.