Matthew Hayden opens up on 'Near Death Experience' in IPL 2025 amid India-Pakistan conflict

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Matthew Hayden, the former Australian cricket star, shared a tense and unforgettable experience in the IPL 2025 match in Dharamshala. The match between Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings was halted midway due to heightened tensions between India and Pakistan.

Hayden was supposed to commentate on the match. He had flown overnight from Mumbai to Delhi, but when he reached the airport, it was closed because of security concerns. So, he and others had to take a long car ride-about 11 to 12 hours, through Chandigarh to finally get to Dharamshala. They arrived just in time for the game to start at the beautiful stadium. And the former Australia player shared his traumatic experience.

"I'd flown from Mumbai overnight to Delhi because there wasn't a connecting flight with Punjab's home ground (for that game), Dharamsala. Magnificent ground. But by the time I landed in Delhi, there was no airport open," Hayden said on the All Over Bar The Cricket podcast.

"It was at the time that coincided with the incursion of Pakistan back into India and we were talking drones navigating across the skies, taking out ground to air missiles and it was just eerie. We had to take a car via Chandigarh up to Dharamsala. That's a 11 and a half, 12-hour drive. By the time we reached the venue we were told the game was about to proceed," he added.

But things quickly took a strange turn. While the match was underway, the stadium lights suddenly started going off, one after another. At first, Hayden and the other commentators thought it was just a technical problem. They told the audience to stay calm. Soon, however, they learned that this was not an accident. The lights going off was actually a secret warning that something dangerous was happening, and an emergency evacuation was needed.

"I was mid-sentence with my usual garbage on air and the first light tower goes out so I've let the spectators and fans know that it has gone out. Then the second goes almost immediately. Next minute security came in like a blanket. Dropped my mic literally mid-sentence and we were ushered out of the ground," he continued.

The IPL 2025 was suspended following the India-Pakistan issue, and then resumed a couple of weeks later. The final was played on June 3 and Royal Challengers Bengaluru became the maiden champions, beating Punjab Kings in the final.