PSL 2022: Matches to go ahead if a team has 13 Covid-19 negative players

Pakistan Cricket Board(PCB) has signed an agreement with the franchises of the Pakistan Super League(PSL) in a meeting held on January 10th regarding the Covid-19 situation. The tournament could possibly witness a Covid-19 outbreak in the middle, and hence, the plans for the worst situation have been put forward already. The teams have now agreed to take the field if they have 13 players who have tested negative for Covid-19.

The agreement also included preparing a pool of 25 players who haven’t been picked up in the drafts or the replacements and they will be isolated in the bio bubble. The franchises can pick up players from the pool in order to satisfy their quota of 13 players. It has to be noted that the players have to undergo three-day quarantine and will have to clear the PCR test before taking part in the PSL 2022 edition.

PSL to complete within the scheduled time

According to the sources from Dawn, A PCB spokesperson had also noted about the tournament being completed in the scheduled time. The tournament could be halted for seven days in case of Covid-19 severe outbreak but will resume with a lot of doubleheaders in order to complete within the time. The PSL is scheduled to start on January 27 and will end by February 27th.

It has been revealed that the reason behind accomodating PSL in the tough times is due to the tight home schedule coming up later this year. Australia, England, and New Zealand have all agreed to tour Pakistan for bilateral series and this is a huge step in earning the trust of the boards. Not many teams have been touring Pakistan after the 2009 gunfire attack on the Sri Lankan team bus.

Meanwhile, Cricket South Africa(CSA) board has stated that no NOC will be given to the players for PSL 2022. The board wants the players to concentrate on their domestic leagues and the international fixtures rather than taking part in PSL. The teams also haven’t been given the privilege of bringing their families with them which is a huge drawback considering the bio bubble fatigue.