Pahalgam attack : Black armbands, no cheerleaders or fireworks at SRH vs MI game

The players of the two participating teams - Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Mumbai Indians (MI) - will observe a minute of silence before the start of their IPL 2025 game in Hyderabad later today and also wear black armbands as a mark of respect for the victims of Tuesday's terror attack in Pahalgam in Kashmir. Also, unlike the IPL, there won't be cheerleaders or fireworks at the stadium. Throughout the game, the BCCI will offer its condolences to the victims' families in a variety of ways. It will start with the minute of silence, which will begin following an announcement over the ground's PA system, to "ensure the in-stadium audience and broadcast viewers are aware and can participate in the tribute". After that, at the toss, both team captains will pay tribute to the victims and condemn the terrorist attack. All players, match officials, commentators, and support staff will wear black armbands. Broadcast commentators have also been instructed to "inform viewers about the significance of the black armbands and speak about the tragic incident and its impact". A terror attack that took place on Tuesday in the hill station of Pahalgam resulted in the deaths of many people—26 according to the most recent count—and injured many more. "The cricketing community is deeply shocked and anguished by the tragic loss of innocent lives in the gruesome terror attack at Pahalgam yesterday," the BCCI secretary, Devajit Saikia, said in a statement on Wednesday. While strongly condemning this horrible and cowardly act, I on behalf of the BCCI offer our deepest condolences to the grieving families and pray for their souls. In this tragic time, we stand shoulder to shoulder with them, sharing their sorrow.