
The Indian Premier League, the richest tournament in cricket, was suspended for one week on Friday because of the conflict between New Delhi and Pakistan.
"Further updates regarding the new schedule and venues of the tournament will be announced in due course," Devajit Saikia, honorary secretary of the Indian cricket board (BCCI), said in a statement.
"While cricket remains a national passion, there is nothing greater than the nation and its sovereignty, integrity and security of our country," the statement added.
Officials paused the T20 competition after a match Thursday was abandoned in Dharamsala, less than 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the northern city of Jammu, where explosions were reported hours earlier.
Thursday's match in the IPL between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals was abruptly called off after 10.1 overs due to an apparent floodlight failure in the Himalayan hill town of Dharamsala.
The stadium was swiftly evacuated and players whisked out of the ground in the team bus, according to media reports.
IPL chairman Arun Dhumal was seen signalling to fans to leave the stadium.
The 10-team IPL, which features cricket stars from around the world, started on March 22. Lucknow Super Giants had been scheduled to host Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday.
There are 12 games left in the group stage, which should have been followed by the playoffs, scheduled to be played in Hyderabad and Kolkata.
Gujarat Titans lead the table followed by Bengaluru with both teams on 16 points after 11 matches.
The final was set for May 25 at Kolkata's Eden Gardens and typically attracts a vast global television audience.
Among the overseas stars are Australians Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head and Mitch Marsh, while former skipper Ricky Ponting coaches Punjab.
Some Australian players based in India could fly home as soon as Saturday, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation said.
Australian cricketers participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 have started exploring travel options to return home or relocate to Dubai, according to Australian media reports.
A total of 15 Australian players are currently involved in IPL 2025.
A senior BCCI official acknowledged the gravity of the situation and confirmed the suspension of the domestic cricket season.
"It does not look appropriate for cricket to continue while the country is at war. The suspension throws the remainder of the season, which was scheduled to conclude on May 25 in Kolkata, into complete uncertainty," the official said.
Prior to the suspension, IPL 2025 had completed 58 matches, including the abandoned game in Dharamsala.
Twelve group-stage matches remain, originally slated to take place in cities such as Lucknow, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Jaipur.
The playoffs were scheduled for Hyderabad and Kolkata.
While no timeline has been set for the tournament's resumption, the BCCI is reportedly considering a potential window in August-September.
However, this could disrupt India's upcoming tour of Bangladesh and the Asia Cup, both of which now face uncertainty due to the ongoing regional tensions and strained diplomatic ties with Bangladesh.
India and Pakistan have fought two of their three full-scale wars over Kashmir, a disputed territory that both claim in full but administer separate portions of since gaining independence from British rule in 1947.
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