Ahmedabad, June 3: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) organised a special ceremony to honour the Indian armed forces ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 final between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday.

Shankar Mahadevan headlined the IPL 2025 closing ceremony along with his sons Siddharth and Shivam, filled with patriotic songs like ‘Ae Watan’, ‘Vande Mataram’ and 'Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani' after the success of Operation Sindoor, which resulted in India striking terror camps in Pakistan in retaliation to Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives.

Helicopters carrying the flags of the three forces - Army, Air Force and Navy- flew over the stadium - as the strong crowd welcomed them with an uproar of applause. Chants of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ broke out in the stadium as fans acknowledged the services of the forces.

Amongst the many in attendance was ICC chairman Jay Shah along with his family.

The IPL 2025 season was temporarily suspended for a week in the wake of rising tensions between India and Pakistan, following the Pahalgam attack.

Once both nations announced a ceasefire agreement, the tournament resumed with a revised schedule. As a result, the final, initially planned for May 26, was pushed to June 3.

In the resumed leg of the season, the BCCI has consistently made efforts to show solidarity with the armed forces. At every match since the restart, the national anthem has been played before the first ball, and ‘Thank You, Armed Forces’ messages have been prominently displayed on the giant screens inside stadiums.

RCB and PBKS will be squaring off in the final as both sides aim to win the trophy for the first time. RCB had defeated the Shreyas Iyer-led side emphatically by eight wickets in the Qualifier 1 to seal their spot in the final.

Punjab, on the other hand, eliminated five-time champions Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2 to reach the summit clash. The winner of the clash will become

--IANS

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