IPL teams in Mohali evacuated after earthquake

 Evacuated out of the hotel, boys are a little shaken: Steyn

The tremors of an earthquake in Afghanistan has forced new Indian Premier League team Gujarat Lions to evacuate their hotel on the eve of their first match in the competition.

The National Centre for Seismology in India has reported the epicentre of the earthquake to be in the Hindukush mountain range on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The quake measured 6.8 on the Richter scale. 

The aftershocks were throughout northern India, including Chandigarh were the Lions are set to face home side Kings XI Punjab at the PCA Stadium on Monday.

Moments after the earthquake hit, the Gujarat players and support staff were whisked out of the building by team management and to a safe area outside.

"I was sitting on the end of my bed fixing a cricket bat and it felt like the bed started to move," the Lions' Australian paceman Andrew Tye told cricket.com.au outside the hotel.

"I was like 'what happened there' and I looked around the room and certain things were shaking, so I thought 'it must be an earthquake'. "There was a bit of commotion in the hallway and we got rushed outside. 

"I immediately thought back to Nepal last year around a similar sort of time. 

"I know how devastating that was. I was more worried for other people rather than myself." No loss of life or damage to property has been reported so far. 

"Just felt the tremors of a earthquake in Mohali. Evacuated out of the hotel, boys are a little "shaken," tweeted Gujarat Lions South African paceman Dale Steyn.

"Just a quick earthquake evacuation in Mohali!!," read Aussie batsman Aaron Finch’s tweet.