PBKS vs MI IPL clash on May 11 shifted from Dharamsala to Ahmedabad due to airport closure

Punjab Kings' day game on Sunday against the Mumbai Indians has been shifted to Ahmedabad from Dharamsala after the closure of the Kangra Airport due to the ongoing cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan. Following India's successful 'Operation Sindoor' on May 7 midnight, several airports in North India, including Srinagar, Jammu, Chandigarh, Shimla, Amritsar, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Jamnagar, and Mundra, among others, were shut down for safety purposes.

Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) secretary Anil Patel confirmed the development to the news agency PTI that the PBKS vs MI clash will indeed take place in Ahmedabad, making it the first neutral clash in the ongoing IPL season. Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium is set to host three games in eight days, with two being day matches (against PBKS on May 11 and Chennai Super Kings on May 18), while the May 14 game against the Lucknow Super Giants is an evening one.

Punjab Kings will be up against the Delhi Capitals in what will be the second and



final IPL game of the season in Dharamsala on Thursday, May 8. It will be a logistical nightmare for both the Capitals and the Kings after they are done with the Thursday clash, since both Chandigarh and Kangra airports are closed. Both teams will likely travel by road from Dharamsala to Delhi on Friday. While Delhi stay in the capital since they are scheduled to lock horns with the Gujarat Titans on May 11 but the Kings will have to take a flight from Delhi to Ahmedabad for the Sunday day game.

The IPL is going on as per the schedule for now, but things might change if the cross-border situation deteriorates.

Among the states affected by border and airport closures, the only other affected IPL venue could be Jaipur, where the Rajasthan Royals take on the Punjab Kings on May 16. However, there's still a week left for that game and things are expected to settle down by then. The playoff matches are set to take place in Kolkata and Hyderabad, cities which are comparatively far from the Pakistan border.