Vipraj Nigam praises the authorities’ efforts to evacuate Dharamshala to Delhi, saying, “The Indian Army did everything for us.”

Following the midway cancellation of the IPL 2025 match between the Delhi Capitals (DC) and Punjab Kings at the HPCA Stadium due to cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan, spinner Vipraj Nigam of the DC expressed his sincere gratitude to the Indian Army and the Government of India for ensuring the players’ safe evacuation from Dharamshala.

Floodlight problems first caused the match to be interrupted, and then a regional blackout in Dharamshala, which is around 50 miles from the Indo-Pak border, forced its cancellation. A number of international players also chose not to return to India for the league’s revival after taking security concerns into account.

“Many people came forward to help the players through the crisis,” the DC all-rounder said, acknowledging the support received during the difficult time.

“Everyone is aware of the circumstances and the reasons behind them. However, some members of our squad were from the Indian Army. A large crowd arrived to assist us in getting home. At first, everything was as usual. However, they made things for us pretty easily after that,” Nigam stated during Saturday’s pregame press conference.

“The Indian Army and Government took care of everything for us. It is preferable not to refer to it as an experience. Whatever it was, though, it was in the past.

However, I am grateful to the Indian Army and Government for safely returning us home,” Vipraj Nigam continued.

When cross-border tensions caused the situation at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala to swiftly worsen, PBKS was in a commanding position at 122 for 1 in 10.1 overs. Teams and spectators were promptly removed from the stadium as a security measure.

The IPL 2025 season was put on hold for a week following the event. Through Hoshiarpur, the players and support personnel from both teams were securely moved from Dharamsala to Jalandhar train station. They arrived in New Delhi under strict security after boarding the Vande Bharat Express, which had been specifically organised.

The final is set for June 3 after the tournament resumed on May 17 with updated schedules. With PBKS presently ranked third and the Axar Patel-led team ranked fifth on the IPL 2025 Points Table, both DC and PBKS are still vying for a play-off position.