IPL suspended as PSL moved to UAE over India-Pakistan ‘war’
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been suspended while the Pakistan Super League (PSL) has been shifted to the UAE over tensions between Pakistan and India.
The two nuclear powers have been at odds of late with a recent air strike killing 31 in Pakistan, according to Islamabad officials.
It has led to each nation’s Twenty20 cricket competitions being moved or suspended.
“It does not look nice that cricket goes on while the country is at war,” an official of the Board of Control for Cricket in India told a local agency.
The BCCI added that they “salute the bravery, courage & selfless service of our armed forces… as they lead a resolute response to the recent terrorist attack and the unwarranted aggression by Pakistan’s armed forces”
In a statement the IPL said: “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.”
IPL suspended
Over 25 airports have been shut in India over the conflict, with transport between stadia increasingly difficult.
The PSL has not suspended competition, but instead will move the T20 tournament to the United Arab Emirates.
A senior Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official told BBC Sport: “If Rawalpindi is not safe, Lahore and Karachi are not safe because drones also attacked there. Any city of Pakistan is not safe because the drones have targeted smaller cities of Pakistan.”
The UK foreign office’s current advice is to avoid the Pakistan-India border region.
US vice-president JD Vance said: “What we can do is try to encourage these folks to de-escalate a little bit, but we’re not going to get involved in the middle of war that’s fundamentally none of our business and has nothing to do with America’s ability to control it.”