Foreign players fly out of India after IPL suspension
New Delhi, May 10 (PTI): Most of the foreign recruits in IPL franchises departed for their respective countries on Saturday following the suspension high-profile T20 League which was halted for a week due to India-Pakistan border tension.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) was suspended on Friday, a day after the Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals match in Dharamsala was abandoned midway following air raid alerts in neighbouring cities of Jammu and Pathankot.
With the tournament suspended, the players and support staff from various franchises have begun returning to their home-towns, while several foreign players are home-bound.
"Our players and extended staff have safely returned to Bengaluru and are now homebound to their respective cities and countries," RCB said in a statement.
RCB's foreign contingent includes Tim David, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Romario Shepherd, Philip Salt, Josh Hazlewood, Lungi Ngidi, and Nuwan Thushara.
Among the overseas support staff are head coach Andy Flower, bowling coach Adam Griffith, Director of Cricket Operations Mo Bobat, team physio Evan Speechly, and analyst Freddie Wilde.
"We're deeply grateful for the swift coordination and support from the BCCI, local authorities, and the police who made this possible," the RCB statement added.
An LSG official also confirmed to PTI that some of their overseas players flew out on Saturday, while a few others opted to stay back for the time being.
For other franchises like Mumbai Indians (MI) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), both domestic and international players have also departed for their respective locations.
According to a source, KKR players left from Hyderabad, where they were scheduled to face Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday.
After the IPL match in Dharamsala was called off, players from Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals reached New Delhi on Friday after being evacuated and escorted to the Jalandhar railway station in batches through Hoshiarpur amid tight security.
The squads had arrived in New Delhi aboard a special 'Vande Bharat Express'.
A Punjab Kings (PBKS) source said that most of their foreign players have left for home.
Meanwhile, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said that updates regarding the revised schedule and venues for the remainder of the tournament would be shared in due course after a comprehensive assessment of the situation in consultation with relevant authorities and stakeholders.
The suspension of the IPL comes in the wake of India's missile strikes targeting terror infrastructure across the border in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The strikes were carried out in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives.
Our players and extended staff have safely returned to Bengaluru and are now homebound to their respective cities and countries. 🙌
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) May 10, 2025
We’re deeply grateful for the swift coordination and support from the BCCI, local authorities, and the police who made this possible. 🙏🇮🇳… pic.twitter.com/8IatIo5Wwl
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Centre spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print media ads for RSS centenary, reveals RTI
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.
The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.
Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.
“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.
RTI reply shows Min of Culture Govt of India spent a Whopping Rs 76L,13K,129 on Advertisement in Print Media on occasion of 100 yrs of #RSS
— AJAY Basudev Bose (@AjayBos93388306) April 16, 2026
When Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??@RSSorg… pic.twitter.com/dW4IUtdNCg
Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”
Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.
In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”
"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added.
Why is public money being used to serve a private ideological project?
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) April 16, 2026
Modi Sarkar spent ₹76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS.
Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to… pic.twitter.com/EoZ6Pim3IM
According to reports, the RSS describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.
Founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925, the organisation is marking its centenary year beginning from Vijaydashami in 2025, with the milestone observed on October 2.
