Actress Preity Zinta on Sunday apologised for her “curt” behaviour at Dharamshala stadium after the IPL match between Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals was called off due to a blackout triggered by the conflict between India and Pakistan.
In a post on Instagram, the 50-year-old actress thanked the Indian Railways for effective evacuation of the IPL teams, officials and families during the incident.
“Finally back home after a crazy last few days. 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 coordinate the evacuation of our stadium in Dharamshala safely & in an orderly manner. Everything was handled so well,” she wrote.
“Finally to all the people that were in the Dharamshala stadium - Thankyou, Thank you, Thank you (folded hands emoticon) for not panicking & for any stampedes. You guys are absolute rock stars. 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. Love you all,” the actress signed off.
The match on Thursday was cancelled midway after air raid alerts were reportedly made in and around Jammu and Pathankot. The power outage led to players and officials being shifted safely to Delhi by train.
Videos that are doing the rounds on social media show Preity requesting the audience members to leave the stadium following the alert.
As per a statement by BCCI, this year’s Indian Premier League has been suspended in wake of the escalating tension between India and Pakistan for a week.