IPL Chairman Breaks Silence On Evacuation During IPL 2025 Clash In Dharmasala: "Stampede..."
It was during the first strategic timeout when IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal realised that the clash between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala could not have continued. The air raid sirens had gone off in two neighbouring cities, one of them less than 100km away, and 25,000 people were in the stands unaware of the security concerns. On one of his "most challenging days" as a cricket administrator, Dhumal had to oversee the orderly evacuation of these 25,000 people and ensure that the players were not affected by the change of circumstances. Floodlights were dimmed and eventually turned off and a blackout protocol came into operation after Pathankot (85km from Dharamsala) and Jammu (a little over 197km away) came under a drone attack from Pakistan.