Venues scaled down to 2, closed-door games as West Asia crisis hits Pakistan Super League

The 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) T20 cricket tournament is set to kick off on March 26, but with the conflict in Iran showing no signs of abatement and an energy crisis escalating, organisers have decided to host the contest at only two venues, instead of the original plan of six.

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Mohsin Naqvi, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which operates the PSL, gave the updates at a press conference on Sunday (March 22). He was accompanied by Salman Naseer, the league’s CEO.

Closed-door matches only in Lahore and Karachi

The matches will be played only in Lahore in northern Pakistan and Karachi in southern Pakistan, and that too, behind closed doors. The opening ceremony, which was scheduled in Lahore, has also been called off to save expenses.

The six cities, which were originally chosen to host the tournament’s 44 games, were, besides Lahore and Karachi, Multan, Peshawar, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi. The final is scheduled for May 3 in Lahore.

The drastic measures came into force as the conflict has caused oil crisis globally, with tremors felt in Pakistan, which borders Iran, that has been jointly attacked by Israel and the US since February 28. The disruptions in the strategic Strait of Hormuz have particularly made the situation worse. The Pakistan government has taken steps to conserve energy, such as starting schools online and increasing the number of Eid holidays.

Austerity drives behind decision, says Naqvi

Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s interior minister, said the later phase of the tournament could see crowded venues if the crisis ends soon. He said the decisions were driven more by the need to adopt austerity measures than security fears. He said the foreign players were set to arrive in Pakistan from Sunday night onwards.

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While confirming that the tournament would go ahead as per the original time schedule, keeping in mind its brand value, Naqvi said other factors such as the number of venues and the attendance, have been reduced, keeping in mind the prevailing crisis.

He said the administration couldn’t ask people to fill up the venues for the matches while urging them to restrict movements. He added it was difficult to make such decisions, but they had to be taken. He also informed that the opening ceremony had been cancelled.

It may be mentioned here that the PSL was affected in 2025 too after brief air skirmishes took place between India and Pakistan in May. A match in Rawalpindi was also disrupted after an Indian drone hit the venue.

PCB to compensate franchise owners

The PCB chairman said the board would compensate owners of the PSL franchises for the loss of revenues caused by empty galleries and refund money to those who purchased tickets for the matches. He also apologised to the cities that would not host any game now.

Naqvi warns legal action against those leaving PSL for IPL

Naqvi also warned that legal action would be taken against players who decided to quit the PSL at the last moment for the Indian Premier League, which will begin two days later, on March 28. Quite a few players, like those from Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, and South Africa, have left the Pakistani league for the Indian one.

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This year, eight teams are set to participate in the tournament, two more than last year, and each team will play 10 matches in the league stage, with the top four advancing to the playoffs. Hyderabad Kingsmen and Rawalpindiz are the two new entrants.

Defenders Lahore Qalandars will take on Kinsmen in the first match in Lahore.