Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals players could reach New Delhi by a special Vande Bharat train only late on Friday evening after travelling from Dharamsala, through Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar, for over 10 hours.
The players’ travel plans were kept secret till Friday morning. It also included the broadcast crew and the match officials.
The Telegraph is not revealing the station from where they boarded the train, following a five-hour journey by road, for security reasons.
It is understood that panic gripped the players once the lights went off at the stadium on Thursday and there was an emergency evacuation. The players and support staff were in a state of shock as they made a dash to the team bus to return to the hotel.
With airports along the border shut and some foreign airlines cancelling flights from India, at least two franchises have made arrangements for chartered aircraft to carry players home. Players from other teams have also been invited to join them.
The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) and Cricket Australia have already expressed concerns regarding the safety of their players.
“The health and safety of players is not negotiable. We are in direct contact with all the South African players at the IPL and keeping them updated with security reports. We have offered them any support they need,” Andrew Breetzke, SACA chief executive, said.
In a statement on Friday, Cricket Australia echoed similar sentiments. “We continue to closely monitor the situation... including obtaining regular advice and updates from the Australian government, the PCB, BCCI and local government authorities, and maintaining communication with our players and support staff currently in the region.”
Delhi Capitals’ Kuldeep Yadav thanked the BCCI and Indian Railways for making the arrangements at such short notice.
“There are plenty of staff. There are BCCI staff, including technical staff. The entire contingent was big but everything was very good. I would like to thank the BCCI and Indians Railways,” Kuldeep said in a video posted by IPL on X.
