2 min readMar 22, 2026 06:23 PM IST
When the Pakistan Super League’s season starts from March 26, fans will not be allowed in the stands—at least for the initial games of the season. The tournament will also be held in just two venues (Karachi and Lahore) and the Opening Ceremony will not take place.
These ‘austerity’ measures are an indirect result of Israel and USA’s war with Iran. The war in West Asia had led to an ongoing fuel crisis leading the Pakistan government to limit movement of the public in the country.
Explaining the measures, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said: “The Prime Minister requested all of Pakistan to restrict their movements because of the fuel crisis. 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 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 for PSL games 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,” added Naqvi, who is also an Interior Minister in Pakistan.
The PCB announced that the board will try to compensate the eight franchises by paying them the estimated gate money at the already announced venues — Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Multan.
“I would like to apologise to the people of Peshawar. We had promised PSL matches there, but unfortunately, due to the circumstances, we are unable to fulfil that. We will make sure they are accommodated in some form in the future,” said Naqvi.
“The PSL is an international brand and our pride,” he added before confirming that overseas players for PSL will start reaching Pakistan from Sunday night.
