The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Sunday that the initial phase of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 will be played behind closed doors due to heightened tensions in the region stemming from the West Asia war.
The PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, stated that the tournament will begin on March 26, but the spectators won’t be allowed to enter for the initial phase at least. He also confirmed that this edition of the PSL will be limited to two venues — Karachi and Lahore.
Decision comes due to oil crisis in Pakistan
The move has been necessitated due to Pakistan facing the oil crisis amidst the Iran-USA-Israel conflict. “The Prime Minister requested all of Pakistan to restrict their movements because of the fuel crisis,” Naqvi said during a media conference in Lahore. “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.”
Tournament curtailed to two venues
Meanwhile, the tournament has also been reduced to two venues, as Lahore and Karachi will be hosting all the matches. According to the original schedule, six venues were to host the games. “Because there are no crowds anyway, there was no reason to go to those cities. And we have to restrict our movements so resources are not wasted,” Naqvi said.
Naqvi keeps the possibility of audience attendance open for later stage
Meanwhile, the Board chairman Naqvi has kept the possibility of the crowd being allowed to watch the games from the stadium at a later stage, but that would be dependent on the situation in the region. “Perhaps it ends in 10 days, perhaps 15,” he said. As part of the cost-cutting steps, the PCB has also scrapped the traditional opening ceremony.
Naqvi further stated that the board would attempt to compensate the eight franchises by covering the expected gate revenue from previously announced venues — Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, and Multan.
Accompanied by PSL CEO Salman Naseer, Naqvi dismissed concerns about security risks in hosting the tournament in Pakistan.
“These decisions are part of the government’s austerity measures in light of the current regional situation. I can confirm that overseas players will begin arriving in Pakistan from tonight,” he added.
He also noted that the PCB’s legal team would take action against players who withdrew from PSL contracts to participate in the Indian Premier League. “At the same time, the participation of top List A players reflects the continued growth and appeal of our league,” he said.
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