Franchises request PCB in a letter to shift the remainder of PSL 2021 to UAE from Karachi

In a letter sent by all Pakistan Super League franchises to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the stakeholders have requested the Board to schedule the remaining matches of the discontinued league in UAE instead of Karachi. Reportedly, the PCB is considering and reviewing the situation currently and any official confirmation is awaited.

The sixth edition of the PSL was postponed after multiple Covid-19 cases and bio-bubble breaches were reported earlier this year. Paused after 14 matches, the PCB is keen to resume the league by early June and host the remainder in Karachi. However, a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases in the country has led to the request by all six franchises to reconsider the venue.

As per the current plans in place, all the teams are to assemble in Karachi by May 23 to begin their mandatory seven-day quarantine before the league resumes from June 2. Although, Pakistan has consistently been recording over 400 Covid-19 cases every day with partial lockdown imposed in some parts of the nation. Notably, the frequency of cases is the highest ever since the first wave of the virus in the nation the previous year.

The sudden rise has made all the franchises anxious about the safety and health concerns of all those involved. Even more, after the tournament has already taken a hit this year due to the same reason.

That said, the change of venue will come with issues of its own. Most importantly, the flights from Pakistan currently are operating at a much lower frequency than normal. Further, the month of June in the UAE is one when summer hits a peak, which will make it difficult for all the players to cope.

Moreover, the PSL has been one of the most successful ways of bringing back cricket to Pakistan, which is the primary reason behind PCB’s want to hold the curtailed edition in the country. Its transfer to any other location outside Pakistan will virtually throw away all the groundwork conducted by the stakeholders to bring cricket back into the nation and convince, especially, the foreign players to visit the nation. With only a little over three weeks left, PCB will have to figure things out quickly.