Sports Report
KARACHI: In a positive development, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Najam Sethi on Sunday announced that the remaining matches of Pakistan Super League (PSL) eighth edition would be held in Rawalpindi and Lahore as per schedule, as the cricket board and the Punjab caretaker government resolved the financial dispute.
Earlier, the Punjab interim government had demanded Rs450 million from PCB for security arrangements for PSL matches scheduled in Lahore and Rawalpindi. That amount also included the costs the Punjab government has already incurred for hosting the tournament matches in Multan.
Rawalpindi, with 11 games, has the hosting rights of most PSL 8 matches this season, while Lahore was to host the playoffs and the tournament’s final at the city’s Qaddafi Stadium. The Multan and Karachi leg of the tournament has concluded.
Sethi meets PM Shehbaz to resolve dispute over PSL 8 matches
Local media reports said Sethi reached out to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to resolve the financial dispute on Sunday. According to media reports, PM Shehbaz assured Sethi of his “full support.”
“Good news: Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi has been kind enough to agree to share the cost of lighting routes during PSL matches in Lahore,” Sethi wrote on Twitter.
Good news: CM Punjab Mohsin Naqvi Saheb has been kind enough to agree to share cost of lighting routes during PSL matches in Lahore. HBl PSL8 matches in Lahore and Pindi shall continue as scheduled.
— Najam Sethi (@najamsethi) February 26, 2023
“PSL8 matches in Lahore and Rawalpindi shall continue as per scheduled,” Sethi added.
The PSL is arguably the country’s biggest and most lucrative sports event. Ever since its launch in 2016, PSL has managed to attract top-notch brands and establish itself as one of the top cricket leagues worldwide.
The PSL has also helped launch many of Pakistan’s T20 cricket stars, such as Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Haris Rauf, and others.
