New Delhi: A day after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that the Pakistan Super League (PSL) would continue as planned, TimesofIndia.com has learned that the tournament has been put in limbo due to the ongoing tension between India and Pakistan.The Karachi Kings vs Peshawar Zalmi match, scheduled to be played at the Rawalpindi Stadium on Thursday, has been called off after the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium was hit by a drone hours before the match.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“Today’s match has been called off,” a PCB source told TimesofIndia.com. “Tomorrow’s fixture between Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi has also been called off.”PCB has decided to reschedule the Thursday’s fixtures between Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings.“The Pakistan Cricket Board, in consultation with all the stakeholders, has decided to reschedule tonight’s PSL X match between Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings. The PCB will announce the revised date and venue in due course,” PCB said in a statement. Rawalpindi was set to host four matches — on May 7, 8, 9, and 10. Thereafter, the final group stage match is scheduled to be played in Multan on May 11.
The qualifier was set to take place in Rawalpindi on May 13, while both eliminators and the final of the event were set to take place at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on May 14, 16, and 18, respectively.However, there are chances that the remaining fixtures might be relocated to Karachi.“The decision was finalised during an emergency meeting held at Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday, attended by PSL franchise owners and representatives from law enforcement agencies,” said the source.As per the report in The Telegraph, England cricketers playing in the PSL had been contemplating returning home amid the political tension in the region. “Several are exploring their options and could return home,” reported the English daily.James Vince, Tom Curran, Sam Billings, Chris Jordan, David Willey, Luke Wood, and Tom Kohler-Cadmore are playing in this year’s PSL. Barring cricketers, there are also England coaches, including Ravi Bopara and Alexandra Hartley, who are part of PSL franchises.
Tension has escalated after the Indian armed forces carried out “Operation Sindoor,” bombing terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) on Wednesday.The Indian armed forces bombed nine terror camps of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Pakistan and PoJK in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 civilians were killed.
