[Watch]: Special Vande Bharat Train Evacuates Delhi Capitals And Punjab Kings From Dharamsala

In response to the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, the Indian Railways arranged a special Vande Bharat train to evacuate players and personnel from the Indian Premier League (IPL) who were stranded in Dharamsala after the airport was shut down. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) expressed its gratitude for the swift action taken on May 8, ensuring the safe transport of all involved in the IPL 2025 match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals.

Mid-Match Disruption and Blackout

The IPL match on May 8 was scheduled to be a home fixture for Punjab Kings, taking on the Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala. But as tensions between India and Pakistan escalated due to aerial conflicts near the Jammu and Pathankot regions.

Around 9:35 pm, midway through what was already an intense match, the lights suddenly went out. What seemed like a technical glitch at first turned out to be a precautionary measure—an emergency blackout due to nearby air threats. The match had to be called off midway due to a blackout, adding to the urgency of the situation. Security personnel began moving swiftly, and fans were asked to calmly exit the stadium.

Emergency Evacuation by Vande Bharat

In an extraordinary display of coordination, Indian Railways stepped in. Working in tandem with the BCCI and the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, they arranged a special Vande Bharat Express train exclusively for IPL personnel. The train was dispatched from a nearby station with full security and crew.

Onboard the train were players and support staff from both teams, commentators, the production crew, and operations members. Even the logistics and broadcast team were accounted for.

A short video released by the IPL showed exhausted but relieved passengers traveling to New Delhi. Delhi Capitals spinner Kuldeep Yadav summed it up well: “There are a lot of players, staff, and technical crew. Thank you to the BCCI and Indian Railways for managing the situation well.”

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

IPL’s Response to the Crisis

Recognizing the severity of the incident, the BCCI suspended the IPL for a week. Sunday’s scheduled match between Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians was shifted from Dharamsala to Ahmedabad.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia stated, “Further updates regarding the new schedule and venues of the tournament will be announced in due course after a comprehensive assessment of the situation in consultation with relevant authorities and stakeholders.”

The season isn’t over, but it’s certainly been disrupted. Matches will be rescheduled, possibly relocated to safer cities. Player safety has taken top priority, and understandably so. Future tournaments might now include revised emergency playbooks as a result of this unexpected event.

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