"No DJs, Dancing Girls": Sunil Gavaskar's Blunt Message As IPL Resumes, Keeping In Mind Those Who 'Lost Dear Ones'

The IPL 2025 will restart on May 17 after a week’s gap. As India-Pakistan border tensions escalated, the BCCI, on Friday last week, released a statement: “At this critical juncture, the BCCI stands firmly with the nation. We express our solidarity with the Government of India, the Armed Forces and the people of our country. The Board salutes the bravery, courage, and selfless service of our armed forces, whose heroic efforts under Operation Sindoor continue to protect and inspire the nation, as they lead a resolute response to the recent terrorist attack and the unwarranted aggression by Pakistan’s armed forces.”

The border tension escalated after the Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 22. As many as 26 civilians – 25 Indians and 1 Nepal citizen – lost their lives. As a respect to those who died, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar felt that there should not be any entertainment (apart from the sport on display) in the remaining IPL 2025 matches.      

“What I would really like to see is, these are the last few matches. I think we have had about 60 games or thereabouts. I think it is the last 15 or 16 games. I would sincerely… because of what has happened and some families have lost their near and dear ones, I would like all the show-sha baji that goes with it to not be there. Just the game to be played. Let there be crowd but no music. Let’s not have the DJs screaming in the middle of an over. None of that,” Gavaskar told Sports Today.

“Let’s just have a tournament, the balance of a tournament. No dancing girls, nothing. Just cricket would be a really nice way to respect the sentiment of the families who have lost their near and dear ones.”

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has remained tight-lipped about the participation of foreign players in the remaining matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, which is set to resume on May 17, after a week-long suspension because of India-Pakistan conflict.

The BCCI has left it all to the franchises to share details about the return of the players, who departed for their respective countries following the suspension of the League on May 9 after Pakistan launched missiles and drone attacks at many places along the border. The attacks were thwarted by the Indian defence system, but the BCCI decided to suspend the league as a precautionary measure.

The IPL 2025 will resume at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on May 17, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru taking on Kolkata Knight Riders, with the final slated to take place on June 3. “We are not in a position to comment at the moment. The franchises are better placed to provide details about who is coming and who isn’t,” a BCCI official told IANS.

With IANS inputs