NEW DELHI — India’s cricket board on Friday suspended the Indian Premier League (IPL), the sport’s most lucrative tournament, as military tensions with Pakistan deepened and concerns over player safety mounted.
The decision, which takes effect immediately, comes just two weeks before the tournament’s scheduled final on May 25. In a statement posted on social media, the IPL Governing Council said the suspension would last at least one week and followed consultations with franchises, broadcasters, sponsors, and other stakeholders.
“The idea is very clear — it is not appropriate at this time to continue IPL,” said a board official familiar with the decision, who requested anonymity to discuss private deliberations.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which oversees the IPL, said the call was prompted by a combination of logistical concerns and the evolving security environment. The move follows widespread appeals from franchises and players who expressed discomfort continuing matches as clashes along India’s western border intensified.
The pause in play is expected to disrupt the cricket calendar and deliver a financial blow to a range of stakeholders, including a joint media venture between Reliance Industries and Walt Disney Co., which secured broadcasting rights in a deal reportedly worth $8.5 billion. Sponsors and advertisers — many of whom planned their marketing campaigns around the league — also stand to lose.
The 2024 IPL season began on March 22, with matches spread across 13 venues nationwide. Thursday’s match, held in Dharamsala, was abandoned midway. While the cricket board cited a power failure at the stadium, the disruption coincided with fresh shelling and drone attacks reported in the border regions.
India and Pakistan have been locked in escalating military conflict since Wednesday, when India launched airstrikes on what it described as “terrorist infrastructure” inside Pakistan and Pakistani-administered Kashmir. The operation was conducted in response to a deadly attack last month in Indian-controlled Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. India has blamed the attack on Pakistan-based militants — a charge Islamabad denies.
On Thursday night and into early Friday, India’s military claimed that Pakistani forces had carried out drone and artillery attacks along the entire western border. Pakistan has denied those allegations and called for an independent investigation into the initial Kashmir assault.
The suspension of the IPL — long seen as a symbol of India’s commercial and cultural influence — underscores the gravity of the current crisis, which has drawn international concern and raised fears of broader regional instability.
It remains unclear whether the tournament will resume as scheduled. The BCCI said further updates would be provided “in due course.”
