IPL Highlights, PBKS vs DC: BCCI enter huddle mode as tension escalates between India and Pakistan

Is it fair that Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals were forced to share a point? The IPL Playing Conditions state: "1 point per team taking part in any match with no result or any match which is tied (where it was not possible to complete a Super Over, or subsequent Super Overs).

1 point per team for any match involving such team which does not commence for any reason (other than where the reason for such non-commencement is a breach of the Operational Rules by one Franchisee which results in such Franchisee forfeiting such match)"

"The match has been called off because of security reasons. What do we have to be afraid of? We are in our country. If anyone, it should be Pakistan who should be afraid. Bharat Mata ki Jai!" said a fan in Dharamsala after the match between PBKS and DC was called off.

India's 2008 Olympic medallist Abhinav Bindra: "Thinking of our brave personnel in uniform as they carry out operations to keep our nation safe. Grateful for your courage, sacrifice, and service. Praying for your safety always. Jai Hind."

Former India cricketer Venkatesh Prasad: "What a complete rogue state Pakistan is. India will screw them like how."

Olympian Neeraj Chopra: "We are proud of our Brave Indian Armed Forces who are fighting for our nation against Terrorism. Let’s do our part and make sure to follow guidelines to ensure everyone’s safety during this time.
जय हिन्द जय भारत जय हिन्द की सेना"

Former cricketer Ambati Rayudu: "Prayers for peace and safety in Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab and other parts of India along the border. Hoping for strength, security and swift resolution for everyone affected. Jai Hind!"

The Delhi Capitals versus Gujarat Titans fixture, scheduled to be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, on May 11 is also under uncertainty, reports Sahil Malhotra.

It is further understood that overseas players of most franchises are in a state of panic and they would need some serious assurances from the BCCI and the Indian government to stay back in the country for the tournament. As of now, there is no clarity over the game in Lucknow tomorrow.

The entire contingent in Dharamsala will be leaving via a special train from near Dharamsala tomorrow and the Indian cricket board is right now in a huddle to decide the future course of action. An emergent meeting of the IPL Governing Council is underway at the moment. None of the existing IPL venues have been under any kind of threat as of now. However, the BCCI may have to keep the larger sentiment of the nation in mind and therefore halting the tournament, even temporarily, could become a necessary call.

"It is on as of now but obviously it is an evolving situation," says Arun Dhumal on whether Friday's Lucknow Super Giants vs RCB IPL game will take place.

"War has been chosen by Pakistan when they had an opportunity to keep quiet. They have escalated to save it’s terrorist assets, speaks so much about them. Our forces will reply in the most appropriate manner, a manner Pakistan will never forget."

Both Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings have been told about train departure, reports

.

Gujarat Titans have reached Delhi for their next game. Mumbai Indians will be in Ahmedabad tonight. As of now, no clarity over the game in Lucknow tomorrow.

As of now, both Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings are safe in the team hotel and there are no blackout protocols in place. Both franchises awaiting details from the BCCI.

It is understood that players of both teams have reached their hotel and will now await more information from the Indian cricket board for future course of action. Panic has gripped the IPL at the moment and there was uneasiness amongst players of both DC and PBKS even before the game got underway. Since both teams had reached before the airports were closed, there was no clarity on their departure from the hills.

Meeting of the IPL Governing Council is underway. A call on the tournament could well be taken now. Panic has gripped the IPL teams.

Meeting of IPL governing council is underway.

"We are organising a special train from close to Dharamsala to bring everybody home safely. As of now the match has been called off and the stadium has been evacuated. We will take a call on the tournament's future depending on the situation tomorrow. As of now, players' safety is utmost important. The match couldn't have continued tonight because of the situation. It wasn't safe," says BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla.

A blackout was enforced in several districts including Pathankot, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Mohali in Punjab and Union Territory Chandigarh on Thursday evening.The move comes amid escalating tension between India and Pakistan. In Pathankot district, some locals claimed they heard an explosion-like sound. However, there was no official confirmation in this regard. Air raid warning sirens have been activated in Pathankot where the blackout was enforced around 8:30 pm. Authorities have appealed to people to keep their lights switched off and stay at home.

A full blackout has been observed in Baramulla and Pathankot, while Chandigarh has also been signalled for a complete blackout.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is in a huddle after the match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals was called off midway due to the cross-border tensions. The players and spectators were asked to evacuate the venue immediately and now the Indian cricket board has planned a special train to get the players, support staff and broadcast crew to safe zone.

"We are organising a special train from Una which is not far from Dharamsala to bring everybody home safely. As of now the match has been called off and the stadium has been evacuated. We will take a call on the tournament's future depending on the situation tomorrow. As of now, players' safety is utmost important," says BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla.

TimesofIndia.com has learned that the IPL authorities asked the stadium to be evacuated due to security reasons.

The toss between PBKS vs DC will take place at 8:15pm IST, with the first ball set to be bowled at 8:30 pm IST. No overs have been lost.

The rain has eased up. The super sopper is in action. The umpires are out with their umbrellas down.

Murali Kartik and Matthew Hayden: Some rain-clad mountains, there's a bit of rain in the air. Last game, it was pitch 4, we are on pitch no. 6 but it looks very similar. Dimensions - 61m and 68m square boundaries, 75m down the ground. When we have a look at the surface, it is dry, slightly more cracks, it's got that very abrasive nature to it. Last match here, it did turn a little bit more in the second innings but it's a big-scoring ground. Expect lots of runs. Punjab got 236 the other night and then 199 in defence. Delhi have world-class spinners, it might be worth setting (a target) and then spin will come into play.

The toss has been delayed at the Dharamsala due to rain.

Prabhsimran Singh (437) and Priyansh Arya (347) have consistently provided fiery starts, and have been backed up by their reliable skipper Shreyas Iyer (405) and designated finishers Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh.

PBKS openers scoring rate of 10.36 - second best after SRH (10.89). DC openers' RR (9.00) is the third worst after CSK and LSG.

There's an inclement weather forecast for the rest of the week, though the rain on match day is expected to subside by the evening.

The pitch at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala is generally considered good for batting, often producing high-scoring encounters. Dew can be a significant factor in evening matches, making it easier to bat in the second innings. However, recent reports suggest that dew might not be a major factor for the PBKS vs DC game due to recent rainfall.

The Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals match will be live on Star Sports Network on TV, with live streaming available on JioHotstar from 7:30 PM IST onwards.

Matches played: 33
Punjab Kings won: 17
Delhi Capitals won: 16

Punjab Kings playing XI: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel, KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel, Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan

Impact Sub: Karun Nair

Delhi Capitals playing XI: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh

Impact Sub: Vyshak Vijaykuma

Delhi Capitals: Axar Patel (c), Jake Fraser-McGurk, Abishek Porel, Karun Nair, KL Rahul (wk), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Sameer Rizvi, Darshan Nalkande, Donovan Ferreira, Tripurana Vijay, Dushmantha Chameera, Faf du Plessis, T Natarajan, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Manvanth Kumar L, Madhav Tiwari.

Punjab Kings: Shreyas Iyer (c), Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Nehal Wadhera, Glenn Maxwell, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Yash Thakur, Harpreet Brar, Vishnu Vinod, Marco Jansen, Lockie Ferguson, Josh Inglis, Xavier Bartlett, Kuldeep Sen, Pyla Avinash, Suryansh Shedge, Musheer Khan, Harnoor Pannu, Aaron Hardie, Priyansh Arya, Azmatullah Omarzai.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Today the action will shift to Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA), where Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings will take on Axar Patel's Delhi Capitals on Thursday. Stay tuned for all the live updates.