CRICKET – The Indian Premier League (IPL) was suspended for one week yesterday while the Pakistan Super League (PSL) postponed its remaining matches in the wake of the ongoing conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
“The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to suspend the remainder of the ongoing IPL 2025 with immediate effect for one week,” secretary Devajit Saikia said in a statement.
The IPL governing council consulted the franchises and players and “considered it prudent to act in the collective interest of all stakeholders”, he said.
“While cricket remains a national passion, there is nothing greater than the nation and its sovereignty, integrity, and security of our country,” Saikia added.
“The BCCI remains firmly committed to support all efforts that safeguard India and will always align its decisions in the best interest of the nation.”
Asked if players and support staff from abroad had been given the option to return home if they felt uncomfortable, BCCI secretary Saikia told Reuters: “That’s not our domain. It’s for the individual franchises to decide what they want to do with their foreign recruits.”
Yesterday’s IPL match in Dharamsala was abandoned midway through, with organisers citing a power outage, while Sunday’s game at the same north Indian city was shifted to Ahmedabad because of the border tension.
The Pakistan Cricket Board said it had postponed the matches on the advice of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, adding that cricket “must take a respectful pause” amid the conflict.
&uuid=(email))