Pakistan :The opening matches of the Pakistan Super League will be played behind closed doors in Lahore and Karachi after a fuel shortage linked to conflict in the Middle East forced organisers to scale back plans for the Twenty20 competition, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi said on Sunday.
The franchise league, due to begin on Thursday, has also cancelled its opening ceremony in Lahore and reduced its operations from six venues to two.
“Fans will be able to receive refunds for tickets and we apologise to them for the inconvenience… we pray that the situation in the region returns to normal soon,” Naqvi told a press conference.
Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s interior minister, said the decision was taken after talks with the league’s franchises.
He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had asked Pakistanis to limit travel because of the fuel shortage, with schools closed, work-from-home measures introduced and Eid holidays extended.
“But we can’t ask people to restrict their movements and then have 30,000 people in stadiums every day,” Naqvi said. “We decided that as long as this crisis is ongoing, we will not have crowds at matches.”
Naqvi added that the PSL would streamline its schedule and logistics to minimise team travel.
“We don’t know how long the current situation will persist, but hosting the PSL is essential. It’s an international brand, and foreign players are involved… if we had postponed the PSL, there would be no window later to hold it,” he said.
