Several Australian cricket stars and coaches could be heading home from the IPL straight away after the military conflict between India and Pakistan flared up, raising fears of a war between the neighbouring nations.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has vowed to exact revenge after Indian strikes on Wednesday killed 31 civilians, including women and children.
The recent skirmish escalated when gunmen killed 26 people in the India-controlled disputed region of Kashmir last month. The Indian government accused Pakistan of being responsible but Sharif’s government has denied the claim.
Australia has a large contingent of players and coaches in India for the IPL which has two weeks left in the regular season before the finals series.
Some players based in India could fly back to Australia as soon as Saturday to escape the increasing tension in the country.
Test captain Pat Cummins, fellow fast bowlers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Spencer Johnson, along with Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head and Jake Fraser-McGurk are currently with their IPL teams while Ricky Ponting and Brad Haddin are in India as coaches.
Airports in Dharamsala and Chandigarh — where the Kings are based — have been closed for civilian and commercial use since Wednesday, while others across India’s north-western corridor are also out of bounds to the cricketers.
There is a possibility that the IPL could be relocated.
The Pakistan Super League has already been switched to the United Arab Emirates with the Pakistan Cricket Board issuing a statement overnight after a match in Rawalpindi was postponed hours before the start.
“Pakistan Cricket Board confirms that the remaining matches of the Pakistan Super League has been shifted to the UAE,” the PCB said in a statement while adding the rest of the draw would be rescheduled.
Australian players David Warner, Max Bryant, Riley Meredith, Sean Abbott, Mitch Owen and Ben Dwarshuis are among 37 foreigners, including players from New Zealand, South Africa, the West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, who are attached to PSL franchises.
Three IPL franchises – Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Rajasthan Royals – are already out of finals contention so that would theoretically make it easier for players to get home.
Fast bowler Nathan Ellis has been restricted to just one game for the Super Kings, while Cummins, Head, and Adam Zampa play for Hyderabad.
But title-contending teams such as the Kings, and Josh Hazlewood and Tim David’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru would be reluctant to allow key players to go.
“We continue to closely monitor the situation in Pakistan and India, including obtaining regular advice and updates from the Australian government, the PCB, BCCI and local government authorities, and maintaining communication with our players and support staff currently in the region,” a CA spokesperson said.
Despite the volatility of the situation, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia insisted foreign players in the IPL had no concerns about continuing to play.
“They are quite comfortable. Everyone in the league is comfortable,” Saikia said.
“The safety and security of every player – be it a local player or a foreigner – every match official and every fan is important for us.
“We have the clearance of every single authority.”
Ponting’s soaring Punjab Kings have been left in the dark about what happens next in their IPL adventure after a floodlight failure rudely interrupted their fine day’s work in Dharamsala.
On a day when the League cited logistical challenges amid increasing tensions between neighbouring India and Pakistan, coach Ponting was left frustrated on Thursday when a power failure stopped the Kings’ batters just when they were fully charged against Starc and the rest of Delhi Capitals’ ragged attack.
Punjab had cruised ominously to 1-122 in just 10.1 overs when one of the light towers at the picturesque stadium malfunctioned during the outage and the game had to be called off, with both sides getting a point each.
But what happens next for the Kings and the rest of the IPL program remains up in the air with the news from the Indian cricket board (BCCI) that the next match planned to be played in Dharamsala on Sunday had been moved to Ahmedabad because of the India-Pakistan conflict.
Asked about the Kings’ plans during the match on Thursday, Ponting shrugged: “We’re not sure where we’re going at the moment … there’s been some talk about Ahmedabad and some talk about Jaipur, but we’re only really worried about tonight’s match.
“You know, there’s been a fair bit happening the last few days and we’re just trying to make sure we focus on our performance here.”
