An IPL match was abandoned on Thursday after a floodlight malfunctioned at the stadium in Dharamsala because of a “technical failure”.

“Due to a power outage in the area, one of the light towers at the HPCA stadium malfunctioned,” the BCCI said.

Dharamsala, home to the Dalai Lama and headquarters of the Tibetan exile government, is less than 200km from the town of Jammu, where explosions were reported hours earlier.

It was not immediately clear if the power outage was linked to the wider blackouts enforced in several areas in northern India on Thursday evening, as New Delhi accused Pakistan of targeting military stations with drones and missiles.

Only 10.1 overs could be played before the match was called off.

Punjab, who won the toss and opted to bat first, were sitting pretty at 122-1 after openers Priyansh Arya (70) and Prabhsimran Singh (50*) put on a quickfire century stand.

Punjab’s next match, originally scheduled to be held in Dharamsala, has already been shifted to Ahmedabad.

© Agence France-Presse

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