PBKS vs DC to go ahead in Dharamsala despite Operation Sindoor; PBKS vs MI may shift to Mumbai
The IPL 2025 match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals on May 8 will go ahead as scheduled at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala despite heightened tensions following India’s military strikes across the Line of Control.
Both teams have already arrived in Dharamsala but their pre-match PCs were delayed due to rain.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians was originally scheduled to travel to Dharamsala via Chandigarh on Wednesday for its May 11 fixture. But the team has stayed back in Mumbai after the Chandigarh airport shut down. Discussions are underway to move the match to Mumbai at short notice.
“The franchises have not been formally informed yet, but the BCCI has put all its plans in place to host the game in Mumbai to avoid any logistical challenges,” a source said, adding the Board is figuring out how and when would Punjab Kings travel to Mumbai.
The situation remains fluid after the Indian armed forces launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ in the early hours of May 7, targeting nine terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The strikes, according to India’s Ministry of Defence, were in retaliation for the April 22 mass shooting in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley, which claimed 26 lives — the deadliest civilian attack on Indian soil since 26/11.
As a security precaution, multiple airports in northern India — including those in Leh, Srinagar, Jammu, Dharamsala, Amritsar, and Chandigarh — have been shut down till May 10. Civilian air travel to and from Dharamsala has been suspended.
Punjab Kings had shifted its base to Dharamsala for three home matches this season — against Lucknow Super Giants (May 3), Delhi Capitals (May 8), and Mumbai Indians (May 11). It beat LSG by 37 runs in the first of these fixtures.
