The globally-recognized Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament has been suspended for a week amid hostilities between India and neighboring Pakistan.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed the shutdown in a statement today following discussions with the various franchises and their players, broadcasters, sponsors and fans. “While the BCCI reposes full faith in the strength and preparedness of our armed forces, the Board considered it prudent to act in the collective interest of all stakeholders,” it added.
The BCCI thanked IPL rights holder Jiostar for its “understanding and unwavering support” over the decision. Indian cricket, and the IPL in particular, act as huge draws for both traditional broadcasting and streaming in India. Former rivals Disney India and JioCinema, which are now part of the same Reliance Industries-led Jiostar, collectively paid nearly $6B for linear and streaming rights to the IPL in 2022.
Yesterday, a match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala was cancelled after just 10 overs (around an hour) due to a government-mandated power cut related to the tensions between India and Pakistan.
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Some overseas players have already left India with 16 matches still to play before the IPL’s conclusion on May 25. It’s unclear whether the tournament will return in a week or what a further suspension would mean for the competition and the wider cricketing calendar.
One option is to move matches abroad. The remainder of the Pakistan Super League will be played in the United Arab Emirates after Pakistan claimed that a drone that fell on the pitch during a match between the Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi was from India.
Appetite for the tournament has been rabid, with the first week of action in March drawing record numbers to Jiostar, totalling a cumulative watch time of 49.56 billion minutes across the JioHotstar platform and Star Sports Network. Yesterday, India’s government ordered all streamers and OTT companies operating in the country to pull Pakistani content, citing national security concerns.
The long-simmering tensions between India and Pakistan have flared up into violence over recent weeks. According to the BBC, Pakistan says 31 people have been killed with 57 injured by Indian air strikes in the country and in Pakistan-administered Kashmir since Wednesday morning following what Indian armed forces are calling Operation Sindoor. Twenty-six people were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir last month and India has accused Pakistan of supporting militants behind the attack. Pakistan has rejected the allegation. Explosions in Indian-administered Kashmir followed yesterday, but Pakistan has denied involvement here as well.
Both countries claim full ownership of Kashmir. The conflict started after the partition of India in 1947, which divided the region into two.