Australia, New Zealand players narrowly avoid missile attack in Pakistan amid Indo-Pak war

India and Pakistan have suspended the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Pakistan Super League (PSL) due to the military tensions between the two neighboring nations. Cricketers from Australia, New Zealand, and other countries narrowly avoided a deadly missile strike in Pakistan while departing from the country.

The majority of Australian players involved in the IPL and PSL are set to return home by Sunday after both leagues were suspended. India launched precision strikes on what it described as terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for a deadly attack on Hindu tourists last month.

Australia, New Zealand, and Other International Cricketers Narrowly Escape Missile Strike

Just hours after foreign players, officials, and broadcasters departed Pakistan on a charter flight, India launched missile strikes on Saturday morning, targeting three Pakistani airbases. One of them was the Nur Khan Airbase, the very site from which the group had taken off roughly three hours earlier.

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Nur Khan, situated near Pakistan’s military headquarters and only about 10 kilometers from Islamabad, was rocked by multiple explosions and fires, according to local reports. Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos, with thick smoke, visible flames, and panic sweeping through the surrounding areas.

“India, with its naked aggression, has attacked with missiles. Nur Khan base, Murid base and Shorkot base have been targeted,” Pakistan military spokesperson Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said in a live broadcast aired by state television early on Saturday.

Australian and Other Country Players in IPL and PSL

Australian players, including David Warner, Mitchell Owen, Riley Meredith, and Ben Dwarshuis, along with New Zealanders such as Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Tim Seifert, and Kane Williamson, were part of the PSL 2025 teams.

Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Travis Head managed to secure return flights after air-raid alerts near Dharamshala led to a government blackout and airport closures. The match between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Delhi Capitals (DC) was abandoned as a result.

Australian coaches Ricky Ponting and Brad Haddin are also returning home, while New Zealand's IPL players, including Devon Conway, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Rachin Ravindra, and Bevon Jacobs, are either already en route or awaiting flights out of the country.

Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis Are Relieved to Be in Dubai Now - Peter Lovitt

The players involved in the PSL 2025, including Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Ashton Turner, and Mitch Owen, narrowly escaped the situation.

Peter Lovitt, who manages both Abbott and Dwarshuis, shared that the past 24 hours had been mentally and physically challenging for the players. He emphasized that the priority now is to ensure their safe return.

“Sean and Ben are relieved to be in Dubai now,” Peter Lovitt, who manages Abbott and Dwarshuis. “They are resting at a hotel as they prepare to fly back to Sydney.

“It has obviously been a challenging last 24 hours or so for all the players both physically and mentally. The next steps are to get them home safely as soon as possible. The organisers of the PSL have done their best to get the players out of Pakistan quickly in trying circumstances in a situation that is much bigger than the game of cricket itself.”

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