Ricky Ponting’s soaring Punjab Kings have been left in the dark about what happens next in their IPL adventure after a floodlight failure rudely interrupted their fine day’s work in Dharamsala.
On a day when the League cited logistical challenges amid increasing tensions between neighbouring India and Pakistan, coach Ponting was left frustrated on Thursday when a power failure stopped the Kings’ batters just when they were fully charged against Mitch Starc and the rest of Delhi Capitals’ ragged attack.
Punjab had cruised ominously to 1-122 in just 10.1 overs when one of the light towers at the picturesque stadium malfunctioned during the outage and the game had to be called off, with both sides getting a point each.
Delhi were happy about that – but it was a frustration for Ponting, who had felt his side could amass something in the region of 240 after a dazzling start from his two openers.
Priyansh Arya cracked 70 and Prabhsimran Singh was 50 not out after a rocky opening for Starc, who had been hit for five boundaries in two wicketless overs (0-23).
The ‘no result’ left the Kings, whose side had featured two of their five Aussies, Josh Inglis and Marcus Stoinis, still handily placed in third place on 15 points, with only four teams to qualify.
But what happens next for the Kings and the rest of the IPL programme remains up in the air with the news from the Indian cricket board (BCCI) that the next match planned to be played in Dharamsala on Sunday had been moved to Ahmedabad because of the India-Pakistan conflict.
Asked about the Kings’ plans during the match on Thursday, the former Australia captain Ponting shrugged: “We’re not sure where we’re going at the moment … there’s been some talk about Ahmedabad and some talk about Jaipur, but we’re only really worried about tonight’s match.
“You know, there’s been a fair bit happening the last few days and we’re just trying to make sure we focus on our performance here.”
Airports in Dharamsala and Chandigarh — where the Kings are based — have been closed for civilian and commercial use since Wednesday, while others across India’s north-western corridor are also out of bounds to the cricketers.
Despite the volatility of the situation, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said the foreign players in the 10-team league had no worries about continuing to play.
“They are quite comfortable. Everyone in the league is comfortable,” Saikia said.
“The safety and security of every player — be it a local player or a foreigner — every match official and every fan is important for us.
“We have the clearance of every single authority.”
Meanwhile, across the border, a Pakistan Super League match in Rawalpindi was postponed hours before the start, with the country’s cricket board saying more PSL matches were likely to be rescheduled.
With agencies
