Singer B Praak’s powerful renditions of stirring patriotic anthems echoed through the stadium, while giant screens lit up with the words: “Proud of the Indian Armed Forces.” At the stands, one could sense the flag-waving fervour surging through. On the ground, Priyansh Arya had played a scintillating knock — not for the first time in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL).
What loomed beneath this electrifying atmosphere, however, was the shadow of Operation Sindoor — one of India’s most significant military undertakings in recent times. And yet, the magnitude of what was unfolding outside the stadium's periphery remained elusive to those within, until the night took an unexpected turn.
At 9:29pm on the night of 8 May, when Punjab Kings were cruising at 122/1 in their fixture against Delhi Capitals, a floodlight at the stadium went off. One at first, eventually and gradually followed by the others. In a few minutes, the entire entourage — players, coaching and administrative staff, broadcasting personnel — were escorted to their hotels.
On the morning of 9 May, the entire IPL convoy of nearly 400 people boarded a special train from Jalandhar — reportedly among the sites subjected to Pakistani drone attacks — as the tournament was declared to have been postponed for a week. By nightfall, everyone had safely reached Delhi.
Beyond the extraneous furore, what ensued was the swift execution of a massive evacuation operation. Among them was expert and commentator Anjum Chopra — the former Indian women’s team’s captain.
Speaking with The Quint, she recalls the events of the 8 and 9 May, offering a first-hand account of the calm under crisis.
How was the atmosphere at the HPCA stadium before everything came to a standstill? Did you sense any panic?
We were obviously aware of what was happening in the country — airports were getting closed and all, but there was no panic at the stadium at all. When we were on the way to the ground, everyone was in match mode — players were focused, we were in broadcast mode. Everyone had a job to do, whether as a player or a broadcaster, so we were all fully engrossed in our work. The stadium was absolutely buzzing. Punjab, the home team, were playing good cricket; Delhi were in a must-win scenario, trying to make the most of it. The match was going really well — there was no thought at all about what was happening outside our perimeter. For us, it was just like any other IPL game: electric atmosphere, cricket being played.
You were on broadcast duty when the floodlights first went out — take us inside that moment. What were you thinking, and when did you first sense this wasn’t just a technical glitch?
When the first floodlight went out, initially it was reported as a floodlight failure, but later we came to know it had to do with security concerns, but they had avoided mentioning it at that moment to prevent panic. I was watching the game from behind at the time and discussing cricket. When the first floodlight issue occurred, I thought, okay, maybe it is just another technical failure. I didn’t even realise when the second floodlight went off. We were just having cricketing conversations — like how this might affect the batting side’s momentum, or how the bowling side might benefit from the break. We were so oblivious to anything happening outside because we were fully engrossed in the match.
Can you walk us through that moment when the message to leave came — how exactly did it unfold, and how was it handled?
One of our security liaison officers came over and said, ‘Please pack up, let’s go.’ No questions were asked. We just wrapped up — picked up books, pens, whatever was lying around. And what struck me most was that there was no panic at all — not in his voice, not in his actions. Nothing.
We left, looked around at the stadium, and all of us in the broadcast unit quietly packed up and were escorted to the cars, back to the hotel. No panic, no chaos. It was like exiting the stadium on any normal match day.
We had all received a message saying that in case there’s any movement, we should simply follow instructions. There were people working relentlessly behind the scenes — and I’m sure they’re the real heroes. From my end, as someone involved in the whole thing, I can just say it was absolutely commendable how the team handled the situation. All I heard was, ‘Let’s go, ma’am.’ That’s it.
What was the atmosphere like as you exited the stadium — were there any signs of tension?
There was no chaos, no hara-kiri. We picked up our bags and left, just like any other match day. We moved out of the stadium in batches, went down to the exit and waited for the vehicles to arrive.
It was all done so smoothly. In fact, we all complimented the security team. We said, ‘Boss, this is great stuff you’ve done.’ No one panicked, there was no tension, no raised voices, no shouting — nothing. It was executed so well. Honestly, full credit to the organisers.
How and when did the message come through that everyone would be evacuated in a special train, and what did the journey out of Dharamshala look like for you?
I received the communication from our production team. They sent it across to everyone who needed to know. There were somewhere between 370 to 400 people. I had already taken a train the previous day because the airports were closed. So there were really only two options: either drive down or take a train and then drive from there. In any case, everyone was supposed to depart on the morning of 9 May, as the game scheduled for 11 May was already relocated.
But of course, the overall situation in the country was concerning. We knew that things were happening. And since we weren’t playing cricket that night, we were getting updates about what was unfolding at the border.
We were informed that everyone will leave Dharamshala on 9 May. The only question was how — whether we’d be going together or separately. That was decided by the people managing logistics. As for me, I just had to follow instructions. And those instructions always came — clear and timely. They’d inform me: ‘Be ready by this time. The vehicle will be there. We’ll be travelling by this mode — road, train, whatever.’ That’s it. My job was to stay put in my room and wait.
The vehicles had arrived the next morning, and we boarded the train to Delhi from Jalandhar. Because the route from Dharamshala — whether by air or road — always leads to Delhi. That’s the main hub. Since I live in Delhi, I returned there. Others had their respective destinations, and everything was already well-planned and communicated. It was handled with complete coordination.
Take us through the journey out — from leaving Dharamshala to boarding the special train. What stood out to you about how such a massive operation was managed?
It was all very streamlined. Everyone left in batches. The Himachal Pradesh Police were there, escorting the teams and everyone involved. We knew who was where — it wasn't chaotic or scattered. We were all together, moving in an organised manner.
Since there were so many people, of course, everyone couldn’t move out in one batch. So we were escorted in groups. And once we crossed into the next state (Punjab), the local police from that state took over the escort. It was extremely well-coordinated.
One thing that was particularly commendable was how all of this — despite being such a large-scale movement — never disturbed regular people. There were so many civilians at train stations, bus depots, just going about their day. But at no point was anyone inconvenienced because of us.
Whether we boarded or disembarked from the train, whether we were moving with bags or stopping for water — nothing disrupted anyone else's plans.
The train itself was a special one arranged by Indian Railways exclusively for the nearly 400 people associated with the IPL. We were all on the same train, and the IRCTC and Indian Railways staff were incredibly helpful and attentive throughout. Everything was taken care of very smoothly.
While you were still in transit, speculation around the IPL’s suspension was everywhere. How and when did you finally get the official word?
There were reports floating around, saying that the IPL will be suspended — we all read them while we were on the train, sometime in the late afternoon. But for us, we always wait for official confirmation from the board.
I saw all sorts of news. Some reports said the IPL will be postponed, some said it will be relocated, some said it will continue as usual. So the best option was to wait for the BCCI advisory. Later in the day, my production team communicated the official news. They said further instructions would be shared with us, and that’s what we go by.
Given the current tensions between India and Pakistan, do you believe the two nations should engage in cricket? Gautam Gambhir has already stated we shouldn’t.
We are already at a stage where there’s a conflict with that nation (Pakistan) — so I don’t understand why there is even a question of playing cricket with them? We don’t play bilaterals anyway, but of course, we do meet Pakistan in World Cups and ICC tournaments. Now, what we will do in such scenarios, that’s the board’s call.
When you look back at this extraordinary episode, what’s the one image or feeling that will stay with you?
I want to salute the ones who protected us. Nearly 400 people were evacuated, and not a single person panicked. Everything was carried out in a calm, orderly manner. Really, hats off to them. They’re all professionals. They know exactly what needs to be done and how to do it. And it’s not just during situations like this — they work tirelessly all year round to keep us safe and protected. Whatever gratitude we show will always fall short, because for the nation, they are constantly sacrificing. All we can do is salute them.