PSL will be played behind closed doors due to the ongoing regional crisis in the Middle East.© X (Twitter)
The upcoming season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is set to be played behind closed doors due to the ongoing regional crisis in the Middle East and the resulting national fuel shortage. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi confirmed on Sunday that the tournament will now take place exclusively in Lahore and Karachi. The opening ceremony of the tournament, starting on March 26, has also been cancelled. While Naqvi left open the possibility of bringing fans back for the latter stages, he insisted that it will depend on when the regional crisis ends.
“Perhaps it ends in 10 days, perhaps 15,” said Naqvi, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
Iran’s ongoing conflict with the US and Israel has triggered a global oil crisis. Naqvi revealed that the Government of Pakistan has expressed grave concerns over the matter, citing the need for national energy conservation.
“The Prime Minister requested all of Pakistan to restrict their movements because of the fuel crisis,” Naqvi said. “We closed schools and instituted work from home and increased the number of Eid holidays. We don’t know how long this war will last.”
“Looking at all of this and after discussions with our security agencies, we decided that the PSL would continue as per the original schedule. But we can’t ask people to restrict their movements and then have 30,000 people in stadiums every day. We decided that as long as this crisis is ongoing, we will not have crowds at matches. This was a difficult decision, but it needed to be made. The opening ceremony will also be cancelled.”
Naqvi also promised to compensate the franchises for the loss of gate revenue resulting from the empty stands. Furthermore, he apologised to fans in cities that will no longer host matches-specifically Peshawar, which was scheduled to host its first-ever PSL fixture on March 28.