Arun Dhumal gestured fans to leave stadium amid abandoned IPL match

DHARAMSALA: Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Arun Dhumal was seen gesturing to fans to evacuate the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium here after the abandonment of the tournament’s 58th match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals on Thursday due to the escalating tensions between Pakistan and India.

In a video, going viral on social media, Dhumal can be seen near the advertising hoardings, gesturing to fans to evacuate the venue as the local government had reportedly announced a blackout in regard to the rising tension in the region.

The aforementioned fixture was halted immediately after Thangarasu Natarajan dismissed Priyansh Arya on the first delivery of the 11th over, as three of the four floodlight towers of the venue malfunctioned.

“The Punjab Kings v Delhi Capitals match in Tata IPL was forced to be abandoned due to a significant technical failure at the HPCA stadium in Dharamsala,” the BCCI stated.

“Due to a power outage in the area, one of the light towers at the HPCA stadium malfunctioned. BCCI regrets the inconvenience caused to the in-stadium attendees,” the statement added.

Although the BCCI, in its statement, cited technical failure as the reason behind the abrupt end of the fixture, several Indian media outlets reported that the decision was taken as a safety measure in light of the escalating tensions in the region.

Later, reports emerged that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has arranged a special train, named Vande Bharat Express, to evacuate players and support staff from here to Delhi.