IPL Security Scare: Alyssa Healy’s Account of Chilling Night in Dharamsala
An IPL Night Unlike Any Other
Australia Women’s team captain Alyssa Healy, who is also the wife of Australian pacer Mitchell Starc, shared a firsthand account of the tense and frightening night when the IPL match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala was abruptly abandoned on May 8th due to security concerns. While the BCCI initially cited technical issues with the stadium’s floodlights, Healy revealed the real reason: escalating India-Pakistan border tensions.
From Normal Night to Sudden Chaos
Healy, who was watching the game with other family members of the Delhi Capitals players, described the scene unfolding before them. “It was a surreal experience. All of a sudden a couple of the light towers went out and we were just sitting there up the top waiting… we’re a large group of family and extra support staff and the next minute the guy who wrangles the group of us and gets us on the bus came up and his face was white,” Healy recounted on The Willow Talk Podcast.
A Race for Safety
The atmosphere quickly turned from suspense to panic. Healy revealed the gravity of the situation when she saw Faf du Plessis, the star batter for Delhi Capitals, rushing out of the dressing room without his shoes. Her husband, Mitchell Starc, informed her that there had been drone sightings and air raid warnings in the vicinity. “He was like, ‘we need to go right now’. Then another guy came out and his face was white and he grabbed one of the children and said, ‘we need to leave right now’. We were like, ‘what’s going on?’ We weren’t told anything. We had no idea. Next minute we are being shuffled into this room which was like a holding pen. All the boys were in there. Faf du Plessis didn’t even have shoes on. We were all just waiting there, looking stressed,” Healy described.
Close to the Border
Eventually, the players, support staff, and broadcasters were evacuated from Dharamsala in a convoy, heading southwest towards the Pakistan border. Healy shared her fear during the drive, recounting the sight of surface-to-air missile sites and a close call with fireworks that sparked panic. “It was anxiety and terrified at the same time, but I still feel like we would have been OK. We weren’t right in the firing line,” she admitted.
