India's cricket board has reportedly suspended the money-spinning Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 tournament amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan. Officials decided to pause the richest tournament in cricket after a match Thursday was abandoned in Dharamsala, less than 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the northern city of Jammu, where explosions were reported hours earlier. On a third day of exchanges between the nuclear-armed neighbours on Friday, India said it repulsed a wave of Pakistani drone and artillery attacks overnight. Pakistan cricket has moved the remaining matches in its T20 league to the United Arab Emirates because of player safety, and now the IPL has stopped indefinitely, Press Trust of India and other reports said. There was no immediate confirmation from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). But five-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings wrote on X: Nation first. Everything else can wait. Thursdays match in the T20 league between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals was abruptly called off after 10.1 overs due to an apparent floodlight failure in the Himalayan hill town of Dharamsala. The stadium was swiftly evacuated and players whisked out of the ground in the team bus, according to media reports. IPL chairman Arun Dhumal was seen signalling to fans to leave the stadium. The 10-team IPL, which features cricket stars from around the world, started on March 22. Some Australian players based in India could fly home as soon as Saturday, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation said. Cricket Australia said in a statement on Friday before the suspension news: We continue to closely monitor the situation in Pakistan and India and maintaining communication with our players and support staff currently in the region. India and Pakistan have fought two of their three full-scale wars over Kashmir, a disputed territory that both claim in full but administer separate portions of since gaining independence from British rule in 1947. New Delhi launched missile strikes on Wednesday morning in retaliation for a deadly attack on tourists in Indian-run Kashmir two weeks ago that India blames on Pakistan. Islamabad has denied any involvement. More than 50 people have been k!lled on both sides of the border since Wednesday, in the worst violence in decades between the South Asian neighbours.
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