Days after the clash between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals was cancelled in Dharamsala amid blackout in the hill town due to India's ongoing military conflict with Pakistan, actor and co-owner of the Punjab IPL team Preity Zinta on Sunday expressed gratitude to spectators at the stadium for not panicking.
At the Thursday's game, the Punjab side was 122 for 1 in 10.1 overs when lights went out which at first was attributed to floodlight failure. The teams and the assembled fans were eventually evacuated from the stadium for their security.
Videos of Zinta asking spectators to vacate the stadium in an orderly manner also started doing rounds of the social media.
The actor, who said she was finally back home after "a crazy last few days", on Sunday thanked fans for being "absolute rock stars".
"To all the people that were in the Dharamshala stadium - Thankyou Thankyou Thankyou for not panicking & for any stampedes... I’m sorry I was a bit curt & said no to pictures with everyone but the need of the hour was the safety of everyone and it was my duty & responsibility to make sure everyone stayed safe. Thank you for making it possible," she wrote in a post on X.
The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, which can house approximately 23,000 spectators, was packed to about 80 per cent of its capacity at the time of evacuation on Thursday night.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) was on Friday suspended indefinitely due to the escalating military confrontation between India and Pakistan with a BCCI official saying that continuing the event in the current situation would not look appropriate.
The players and support staff of both PBKS and DC teams were evacuated from Dharamsala and escorted to the Jalandhar railway station in batches through Hoshiarpur amid tight security. The squads arrived in New Delhi aboard a special 'Vande Bharat Express' on Friday night.
Dharamsala's lone airport and the ones in neighbouring Kangra and Chandigarh were closed for operation as part of the precautionary measures to thwart Pakistani attacks.
In her post, Zinta also thanked Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, ICC chairman Jay Shah, IPL chairman Arun Dhumal, and Punjab Kings CEO Satish Menon for their constant support.
"A heartfelt thank you to Indian Railways & our Railway minister Mr. Ashwini Vaishnaw for helping both IPL teams and all officials & families leave Dharamshala in a safe, swift & comfortable way. A big thank you to @JayShah, Mr Arun Dhumal, BCCI & our CEO Mr Satish Menon & the Operations team of @PunjabKingsIPL for helping co-ordinate the evacuation of our stadium in Dharamshala safely & in an orderly manner. Everything was handled so well (sic)" she added.
BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla on Saturday said the Board officials and IPL Governing Council will discuss on Sunday the best possible schedule to ressume the suspended T20 League following the announcement of an immediate ceasefire between India and Pakistan.
