On Thursday, May 08, the Rawalpindi cricket stadium in Pakistan was targeted by a drone amidst the border tensions between India and Pakistan. As a consequence, the 27th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025 between Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi, which was supposed to be played at this venue, was abandoned.
Before these two nations engaged in a missile and drone attack against each other, the foreign cricketers boarded a special chartered flight to escape the nation.
Following the rising Indo-Pak tensions after “Operation Sindoor”, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made an immediate announcement on the very next day to relocate the remaining matches of PSL 2025 to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
UAE Refused PCB’s Request to Host PSL 2025
PCB faced a double blow when the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) strictly refused to host the last eight matches of PSL 2025 in the UAE. This further complicated the rescheduling of the remaining fixtures of the tournament, leaving PCB scratching to search for other neutral hosting venues like Oman and Qatar.
One of the close sources to the ECB revealed that their strong partnership with the BCCI in recent years prevented them from accepting the PCB’s request. Also, the UAE has staged the past editions of IPL as well as hosted India in the 7th edition of the T20 World Cup in 2021.
However, despite PCB’s best attempts to shift the tournament, the UAE cricket board tried distancing itself to avoid the strained relationship with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The headquarters of the International Cricket Council (ICC) is located in Dubai, which is currently managed by the current ICC Chairman Jay Shah, who is indeed the former BCCI secretary.
PSL 2025 Likely to Restart in Rawalpindi
After the ceasefire was announced, the PCB plans to continue the tournament in Pakistan, with Rawalpindi expected to host the remaining fixtures. The latest reports reveal that the PSL management is working to bring together all six teams in Islamabad and has spoken to the franchise owners on how to continue the tournament.
Overseas Stars Not Ready to Play PSL 2025 Despite Ceasefire Agreement
Even though a ceasefire agreement was carried out between India and Pakistan on May 10 (Saturday), overseas players refuse to participate in the PSL 2025, citing the high level of security threats in the nation.
Also, the foreigners are likely to prioritize their international commitments rather than finding themselves trapped in a war like situation. In such scenarios, the tournament is expected to proceed with local talents.
Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium Damaged: PCB to Face Huge Loss After a Heavy Investment
The latest video is becoming viral on social media, which points out the heavy damage and wreckage visible at the Rawalpindi stadium.
It is reported that the PCB nearly spent 1500 crore PKR (approximately INR 450 crore) for renovating the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. With this severe attack, it is understood that the stadium will not host the remaining matches of PSL 2025.
PSL 2025 Remaining Matches Before Postponement
Before the PSL 2025 postponement, there were still four more league stage matches and four playoffs. These eight fixtures were supposed to be completed by 18th May 2025 as per the earlier schedule:
- 27th match: Karachi Kings vs Peshawar Zalmi
- 28th match: Lahore Qalandars vs Peshawar Zalmi
- 29th match: Islamabad United vs Karachi Kings
- 30th match: Multan Sultans vs Quetta Gladiators
- Qualifier 1
- Eliminator
- Qualifier 2
- Final
So far, Quetta Gladiators are the only team to be officially qualified for the PSL 2025 playoffs. While Islamabad United, Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars, and Peshawar Zalmi are still in contention, leaving Multan Sultans eliminated from the race.
When Will PSL 2025 Restart?
As of May 12, the exact dates for the resumption of PSL 2025 is yet to be revealed officially. However, if PCB fails to find a venue to host the remaining phases of the competition, the 10th edition of the PSL is at risk of being cancelled.
PSL 2025 Future in Uncertainty: Final Opinion
The PSL 2025 not only has a daunting task to choose an appropriate venue to host the remaining matches, but also to get the overseas star cricketers back to action.
Even after the ceasefire agreement between the two nations, there are discussions to postpone and relocate the matches to a neutral venue like Sri Lanka after the UAE declined the PCB’s request.
With no other venue being confirmed, and less time left to regain the audience’s trust, the PSL’s future seems to be under threat. Also, the diminishing confidence of players leaves fans questioned if there could be any action packed contests in the completing phase of the league’s 10th edition.
The foreign star cricketers’ absence will certainly cause PSL to lose its prestige, a fact PCB is well aware of.
It is hoped that the PCB manages to restart the tournament by resolving the issues as quickly as possible.
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