Pakistan Super League to begin two days before IPL but without crowd or opening ceremony

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi announced on Sunday that their T20 flagship event, Pakistan Super League (PSL), will be held without spectators due to the prevailing tension in the West Asia region triggered by the Iran-Israel-USA conflict.

In addition, the PSL has also been restricted to two venues, namely Karachi and Lahore, and the organisers have cancelled a grand opening ceremony. PSL matches were proposed to be held at Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Multan.

The modest start serves as a blow to the PCB as it had planned to begin the PSL on March 26, two days before the more popular Indian Premier League (IPL). "These decisions were taken because of the austerity measures announced by the government due to the situation in the region,” Naqvi said at a press conference.

Meanwhile, a handful of overseas players who were set to play in the PSL, opted out and chose to play in the IPL, namely Zimbabwean pacer Blessing Muzarabani, Sri Lankan all-rounder Dasun Shanaa, West Indies spinner Gudakesh Motie and Australian speedster Spencer Johnson. Naqvi said the PCB would take legal action against them.