- The PCB decision comes after the drone incident near the Pindi stadium.
- Said the security of priority national and foreign players.
- PCB describes foreign cricket players as “precious guests”.
Karachi: Pakistan’s Cricket T20 League will be moved to the United Arab Emirates, officials announced on Friday after the country, including a drone that reached the Rawalpindi stadium.
The Pakistani army “neutralized” 28 Indian drones, including one near the city stadium on Thursday morning, said Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
He called it “a deliberate attempt to target national and foreign cricket players”.
“Pakistan Cricket Board confirms that the remaining matches of the Pakistani Super League have been moved to the water,” read a PCB declaration, which added that the calendar would be updated in due course.
The decision was made after several meetings between the franchise and the president of the PCB, Mohin Naqvi, who is also Minister of the Interior.
Naqvi said the decision was made for players’ safety.
“The PCB has always supported the position that policy and sports must be separated. However, taking into account the extremely irresponsible and dangerous Indian act to target the stadium, the PCB has made this decision,” Naqvi said in the press release.
“We have moved the remaining matches to the United Arab Emirates so that the domestic and foreign cricket players, who are our precious guests, can be saved from the possible unpredictable target of India.”
Old Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi champions were to play at the Rawalpindi stadium on Thursday, but the match was postponed after a drone fell near the stadium.
Thirty-seven foreign players, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Antilles, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, participate in the PSL.
India sent air strikes to Pakistan on Wednesday, two weeks after New Delhi blamed Islamabad to have supported an attack on Jammu-et-Cachemire illegally occupying (IIOK)-An assertion denied Pakistan.
Pakistan responded with heavy artillery shots and the two parties accused on Thursday of having made waves of drone attacks.
International cricket took over in Pakistan in 2020 after being suspended after the 2009 terrorist attacks against the bus of the Sri Lankan team in Lahore.
Several Australian and New Zealand players involved in this season’s PSL, including David Warner in Australia, went to Pakistan with their national teams in a recent past.
The following lights will be reprogrammed accordingly, said the PCB.
• Karachi Kings against Peshawar Zalmi
• Peshawar zalmi v lahore qalandars
• Islamabad United against Karachi Kings
• Multan Sultans V Quetta Gladiators
• Qualifier
• Eliminator 1
• Eliminator 2
• Final
