As the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 prepares to resume on May 17 with a match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Australian women’s captain Alyssa Healy has opened up about the harrowing experience in Dharamsala that led to the tournament’s week-long suspension. Healy, who was present at the venue supporting her husband Mitchell Starc during the Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings clash on May 8, shared a first-hand account of the confusion and fear that engulfed the stadium amid rising tensions near India’s western border.
A chaotic Dharamsala night summed up by Healy
Speaking on The Willow Talk podcast, Healy revealed that the game was halted mid-innings after light towers began to fail, just as air-raid sirens were reportedly triggered in nearby regions. “All of a sudden a couple of the light towers went out… The guy who wrangles the group of us came up and his face was white. He was like, ‘We need to go right now,’” she recalled.
What followed was a rapid evacuation of players, families, and staff into a holding room beneath the stands, as confusion reigned. “We weren’t told anything. We had no idea. Next minute we are down being shuffled into this room which was like a holding pen. All the boys were in there. We had no idea.“
“Faf [du Plessis] didn’t even have shoes on. We were all just waiting there looking stressed. I said to Mitch, ‘What’s going on?’ He said the town 60 kilometres away had just been smacked by some of the missiles so there was a complete blackout in the area. That’s why the lights were off because the Dharamsala stadium was like a beacon at that point in time. All of a sudden we’re crammed into vans and off we go back to the hotel. There was madness”
She added that Australian players should be given clear safety guarantees, ideally from their own government, before deciding whether to return to the IPL. Describing the exit from Dharamsala, Healy revealed that she and Starc passed military installations on the way to Delhi. “We’re noticing all the SAM [surface-to-air missile] sites that were just sitting there ready to go. They’re radar-operated systems that shoot missiles at aircraft. It was a little bit terrifying.”
IPL 2025 revised schedule
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17-May-25 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Kolkata Knight Riders | Bengaluru | 19:30 |
| 18-May-25 | Rajasthan Royals | Punjab Kings | Jaipur | 15:30 |
| 18-May-25 | Delhi Capitals | Gujarat Titans | Delhi | 19:30 |
| 19-May-25 | Lucknow Super Giants | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Lucknow | 19:30 |
| 20-May-25 | Chennai Super Kings | Rajasthan Royals | Delhi | 19:30 |
| 21-May-25 | Mumbai Indians | Delhi Capitals | Mumbai | 19:30 |
| 22-May-25 | Gujarat Titans | Lucknow Super Giants | Ahmedabad | 19:30 |
| 23-May-25 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Bengaluru | 19:30 |
| 24-May-25 | Punjab Kings | Delhi Capitals | Jaipur | 19:30 |
| 25-May-25 | Gujarat Titans | Chennai Super Kings | Ahmedabad | 15:30 |
| 25-May-25 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Kolkata Knight Riders | Delhi | 19:30 |
| 26-May-25 | Punjab Kings | Mumbai Indians | Jaipur | 19:30 |
| 27-May-25 | Lucknow Super Giants | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Lucknow | 19:30 |
| 28-May-25 | REST DAY | |||
| 29-May-25 | Qualifier 1: 1 vs 2 | TBD | 19:30 | |
| 30-May-25 | Eliminator 1: 3 vs 4 | TBD | 19:30 | |
| 31-May-25 | REST DAY | |||
| 01-June-25 | Qualifier 2: Loser of Q1 vs Winner of Eliminator | TBD | 19:30 | |
| 02-June-25 | REST DAY | |||
| 03-June-25 | IPL FINAL | TBD | 19:30 | |
