New Delhi: The 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL) will be played behind close doors and in only in two venues due to the ongoing crisis in West Asia.
The tournament was initially scheduled to be held in six venues but now will be held in Lahore or Karachi.
The tournament’s opening ceremony, which was supposed to be held in Lahore, stands cancelled.
Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi is the situation in West Asia improves, the tournament’s later stages could be held with crowds.
The conflict involving Iran, USA and Isarel has not only resulted in a global oil crisis, but also disrupted travel plans throughout the world.
“The Prime Minister requested all of Pakistan to restrict their movements because of the fuel crisis,” Naqvi said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
“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.”