The match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamshala was abandoned midway due to escalating security concerns amid India-Pakistan tensions. After the game was called off and spectators were safely evacuated, players, support staff, and other event personnel were escorted back to their hotels under tight security.
Given that Dharamshala is a no-fly zone, the BCCI prioritized ensuring the safe departure of players and officials. A late-night coordination between BCCI and Indian Railways led to a plan for transporting everyone from Dharamshala to Jalandhar via buses, where they boarded a train to New Delhi.
Upon arrival in New Delhi, buses were stationed at Safdarjung Railway Station to transport the players and key personnel to their hotels.
The Indian Premier League posted a message on social media, thanking the Railways Ministry for quickly organizing the special Vande Bharat train, ensuring the safe transit of players, commentators, support staff, and crew to New Delhi.
“Thank you, @RailMinIndia, for arranging the special train at short notice to transport our team members, staff, and all involved personnel to New Delhi. We truly appreciate your swift assistance,” said the post, accompanied by a video of the journey.
Thank you, @RailMinIndia, for arranging a special Vande Bharat train on such short notice to ferry the players, support staff, commentators, production crew members, and operations staff to New Delhi.
We deeply appreciate your swift response. __@AshwiniVaishnaw | @JayShah |_ pic.twitter.com/tUwzc5nGWD
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 9, 2025
Kuldeep Yadav, Delhi Capitals’ left-arm wrist-spinner, expressed gratitude in a video posted on IPL’s official account, saying, “There were many team members and staff personnel. Plus, there were many people from BCCI, a camera crew, technical, and operations people. The whole crew was very big, and the way they managed it was very good. I would like to thank BCCI plus Indian Railways.”
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