New Delhi/Dharamsala: The travel plans of IPL teams which are scheduled to play in Dharamsala this week have gone for a toss due to the temporary closure of the hill town’s airport after India’s missile attack on Pakistan and the BCCI is weighing its options to deal with the volatile situation.
Dharamsala, which is due to host the Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals clash on Thursday, has one more match left on schedule — the May 11 game between Punjab and Mumbai Indians.
For Thursday’s game, both teams have touched base. But the usage of floodlights in the evening match is a security issue given the tense situation and could have a bearing on whether the match goes ahead as scheduled.
“We have not got any written intimation from either the BCCI, or the central and state governments about cancellation of tomorrow’s match. Unless there is any official instruction, we are going ahead with the schedule,” a Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association source told PTI.
The Sunday clash is a logistical challenge as well right now given that MI is in no position to travel due to the airport’s indefinite closure. The BCCI, it is learnt, is mulling the option of shifting the game to Mumbai.
The picturesque city is the second home base of Punjab Kings.
“We have not been told about the venue change yet. We are waiting to hear from the BCCI,” a Punjab Kings official said.
Delhi has very little time to figure out its logistics as the players have to be back in the national capital for their next game, against Gujarat Titans, which is also on Sunday.
“Everything is fluid at the moment. Discussions are on with franchises and they are also internally discussing about what are the options of travelling from Dharamsala to Delhi in case the airport remains shut,” a BCCI source told PTI.
“One option (for Delhi Capitals) remains bus journey but then it is not just about teams but also the broadcast crew and equipment. It’s an evolving situation,” he added.
India carried out precision strikes on nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were murdered.
At least 18 airports in the northern and western parts of the country have been temporarily shut owing to the military escalation. These include Srinagar, Leh, Jammu, Amritsar, Pathankot, Chandigarh, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Shimla, Dharamshala and Jamnagar.
Chandigarh, which is the nearest alternate airport for Dharamsala, is among those shut down for operations right now.
