Our Bureau
Dharamshala
The tensions between India and Pakistan are surging high at the moment with Operation Sindoor being a successful mission carried out by the Indian Armed Forces. The increasing tensions have led to security concerns all over the country but majorly in the Northwest region which borders Pakistan. Due to these security concerns the Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Mumbai Indians and the Punjab Kings that was supposed to be played in Dharamshala on 11th May has been shifted to Ahmedabad.
It was earlier reported that Mumbai Indians were facing travel issues as the airports of both Chandigarh and Dharamshala had been shut down following the strikes. So, amidst all that tension it was impossible for MI to reach Dharamshala and hence the venue for their match was changed to Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. The news was confirmed by the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) secretary Anil Patel.
While the PBKS and MI fixture is sorted, the major issue that lies forward is the travel concerns of Delhi Capitals and the Punjab Kings. Their match on May 8th at the Dharamshala stadium has been called off after floodlight failure but there is no certainty on what their travel plans will be. DC and PBKS both have a fixture set on 11th May for which they will have to travel out of Dharamshala.
It is certain that both team managements are looking out to figure all possible options including a train journey or a journey by road. But while keeping the travel situation in mind the official also emphasized that they will not jeopardize their player’s comfort as there is not much gap in both fixtures.
PBKS and DC both have had an impressive season so far and both are sitting very closely in the top 5 of the points table in 3rd and 5th positions respectively. The two teams have played 11 matches each so far out of which Punjab has won 7 matches and lost 3 while one was washed away by the rain earning them a total of 15 points till now. Delhi on the other hand has won 6 matches and lost four with 1 match being abandoned due to rain which brought their points total to 13.
