Tommy Fleetwood’s defence of his DP World India Championship was affected by a lengthy weather delay on Thursday.The reigning champion became the inaugural winner of the event in New Delhi last year.Fleetwood is the defending champion in New Delhi this weekendGettyHe finished the 2025 edition of the event on 22-under-par, two shots ahead of nearest challenger Keita Nakajima.His win also saw the world No.6 take home over £435,000 in prize money.Fleetwood teed off alongside Rory McIlroy and Robert MacIntyre for their opening round, but the group completed just 14 holes before play was stopped.When will the India Championship restart?The action was suspended at 11.04am local time (6.34am BST) due to a ‘dangerous situation’ amid thunder and lightning in the area.View Tweet: https://x.com/hashtag/DPWIC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwFootage from Delhi GC showed spectators running for cover amid high winds and heavy rainfall at the course.A lengthy delay followed with the action suspended for almost five hours before it was confirmed play would resume at 4pm local time.The weather forecast for New Delhi shows thundery showers and light winds are expected for the remainder of the day.Fleetwood, McIlroy and MacIntyre began their opening round at 7.15am local time.After 14 holes, the 2025 winner sat in seventh on three-under-par for his round.Meanwhile, McIlroy was a shot further back in 12th place on the leaderboard.View Tweet: https://x.com/DPWorldTour?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwIt was also an impressive start for MacIntyre, who found himself within touching distance of the leaders.The Scot was four-under through 14 holes to leave him third, a shot behind co-leaders Tom McKibbin and Eugenio Chacarra.MacIntyre is one of four players tied on four-under following the pause in play.DP World Tour latestThis weekend’s event is the latest in the ongoing ‘Back 9’ segment of the 2026 season.Ahead of the Genesis Championship in South Korea next week, it is the penultimate event before the DP World Tour Play-Offs.The final two events of the year will both take place in the United Arab Emirates in November.MacIntyre sat a shot adrift of the lead when play was stoppedGettyRace to Dubai and Ryder Cup points are both on offer in Delhi as well as a £3million prize pot.Patrick Reed currently leads the former ahead of Chacarra, with McIlroy in third despite playing just 10 DP World Tour events this year.Fleetwood, meanwhile, sits in 37th having also featured just 10 times on the circuit this season.As for MacIntyre, he entered the weekend in 58th but is on course to climb the rankings come Sunday.