IPL 2025: Alyssa Healy Recalls Chaotic Night in Dharamsala Leading To Abandonment Of PBKS-DC Match

Australia women's cricket captain Alyssa Healy has opened up about the harrowing experience players faced in Dharamsala last week, when the Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals was abruptly halted due to escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.

On May 8, mid-way through the 11th over of the game, the stadium was plunged into darkness after lights went out-coinciding with reports of missile attacks in Pathankot, located about 90 kilometers away.

The following morning, IPL 2025 was suspended indefinitely. With a ceasefire declared days later, the tournament is now set to resume on May 17.

Speaking on The Willow Talk podcast, Healy described the tense and confusing atmosphere that unfolded that night.

"It was a surreal experience," Healy said. "All of a sudden a couple of the light towers went out and we were just sitting there up the top waiting... we're a large group of family and extra support staff and the next minute the guy who wrangles the group of us and gets us on the bus came up and his face was white.

"He was like, 'we need to go right now'. Then (another) guy came out and his face was white and he grabbed one of the children and said, 'we need to leave right now'. We were like, 'what's going on?' We weren't told anything. We had no idea."

As panic spread, players and their families were ushered to a holding area in the stadium where uncertainty loomed large.

"Next minute we are being shuffled into this room which was like a holding pen. All the boys were in there. Faf (South African star Faf du Plessis) didn't even have shoes on. We were all just waiting there looking stressed.

"I said to Mitch, 'what's going on?' He said the town 60km away had just been smacked by some of the missiles so there was a complete blackout in the area. That's why the lights were off because the Dharamsala stadium was like a beacon at that point in time."

The group was quickly evacuated and driven back to their hotel amid the escalating regional conflict.

"All of a sudden we're crammed into vans and off we go back to the hotel. There was madness."

Two days later, Healy and her husband, Australian cricketer Mitchell Starc, had to undertake a road and train journey to Delhi, which she described as "unsettling".

"We ended up going southwest towards the (Pakistan) border, which was a little bit terrifying," she said.

"Mitch and I have played too much Call of Duty and we're noticing all the (surface-to-missile) sites that were just sitting there ready to go. They're radar-operated systems that shoot missiles at aircraft. (We saw) a few of them on the way through in some small towns."

Even after reaching relative safety, anxiety lingered. During lunch at their hotel, a sudden burst of firecrackers triggered panic.

"Some peanut down in the village decides it's a great idea to set off some fireworks in the middle of the day," she recalled.

"I think everyone at lunch (froze), turned around and was like, 'oh my God!' And then I could pinpoint, I could see the fireworks going up. I hope it was a wedding and I hope they have a beautiful marriage but that was just not good timing.

"There was anxiety and terrified at the same time, but I still feel like we would have been OK. We weren't right in the firing line."

While safety protocols eventually ensured that all players and their families were unharmed, Healy's account underscores the gravity of the situation and the stress endured by those involved during that uncertain period.