IPL suspended indefinitely amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan

New Delhi: The Indian Premier League (IPL) was on Friday suspended indefinitely due to the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.

A cloud of uncertainty had loomed over the future of the ongoing edition since the cancellation of Thursday's match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala midway following air raid alerts in neighbouring cities of Jammu and Pathankot.

"It does not look nice that cricket goes on while the country is at war," a BCCI official told PTI, confirming the suspension of the league, which was to wind up on May 25 in Kolkata.

India launched missile attacks on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir a fortnight after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed.

On Thursday, a blackout was enforced in several districts including Pathankot, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Mohali in Punjab and Union Territory Chandigarh amid air raid alarms and reports of explosion-like sounds in Jammu.

Earlier in the day, the Pakistan Super League was moved to the UAE.

With the country on edge over the ongoing conflict, multiple advertisers told BestMediaInfo.com that they would support any pause in the tournament.

"IPL is about celebration. There is no point in continuing the tournament in such a tense atmosphere. We should come back to celebrate after teaching the neighbouring country a lesson. In any case, viewers are more worried about the war and are watching news channels for now," a senior executive at a large FMCG company told BestMediaInfo.com.

Another senior marketer from an automobile manufacturer echoed this sentiment, saying, "Our government is more than capable of securing our players and countrymen. We can see the sentiment around IPL is impacted. We will support the government in any decision."

A leading media agency head told BestMediaInfo.com that, so far, there has been no cancellation of advertising campaigns, but admitted that the volatile security situation is a significant concern for advertisers.