IPL match abandoned due to floodlight failure

NEW DELHI: An Indian Premier League match was abandoned on Thursday after a floodlight malfunctioned at the stadium in Dharamsala because of a “technical failure”, India’s cricket board said.

“The Punjab Kings v Delhi Capitals match (Match#58) in Tata IPL was forced to be abandoned due to a significant technical failure at the HPCA stadium in Dharamsala,” the Board of Cricket Control in India said in a statement.

“Due to a power outage in the area, one of the light towers at the HPCA stadium malfunctioned.”

Dharamsala, home to the Dalai Lama and headquarters of the Tibetan exile government, is less than 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the town of Jammu, where explosions were reported hours earlier.

BCCI moves IPL match from Dharamsala

It was not immediately clear if the power outage was linked to the wider blackouts enforced in several areas in northern India on Thursday evening, as New Delhi accused Pakistan of targeting military stations with drones and missiles.

Only 10.1 overs could be played before the match was called off.

Punjab, who won the toss and opted to bat first, were sitting pretty at 122-1 after openers Priyansh Arya (70) and Prabhsimran Singh (50 not out) put on a quickfire century stand.

Punjab’s next match, originally scheduled to be held in Dharamsala, has already been shifted to Ahmedabad.

Similarly, India’s IPL cricket match on Sunday between Mumbai and Punjab has been moved to Gujarat, local media reported Thursday, quoting the state’s cricket authorities.

The match between Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings was due to take place in Dharamsala, where the airport has closed in the wake of violence between India and neighbouring Pakistan.

But Thursday evening’s match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals, which is also set to take place in Dharamsala, will proceed as planned, as will all other games in coming days.

Sunday’s match will now be played in the city of Ahmedabad in the western state of Gujarat, the state’s cricket association secretary Anil Patel told the Press Trust of India news agency on Thursday.