Amidst the Gulf crisis, the Pakistan Super League will be held without spectators and at limited venues.

Karachi: Pakistan’s Twenty20 league will proceed as scheduled starting March 26; however, to conserve resources amidst the Gulf crisis, it will be played without spectators and restricted to just two venues. The country’s cricket chief announced this on Sunday.

Pakistan relies on oil and gas imports from Gulf nations, and amid fears of supply shortages, the government has implemented several fuel-saving measures in recent weeks.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi stated that these decisions regarding the Pakistan Super League (PSL) were taken following consultations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Speaking at a press conference in Lahore, Naqvi said, “Due to the fuel crisis, the Prime Minister has urged people to limit their movement; therefore, we have decided that the PSL will continue according to its original schedule, but without spectators.”

To curb fan travel, the eight-team league has also been scaled down to just two venues, rather than the six originally planned; this means that no matches will be held in Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, or Peshawar.

Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s Interior Minister, added, “All PSL matches will now take place exclusively in Lahore and Karachi. We remain hopeful that the league can eventually be held in the presence of spectators, but this will depend on when the ongoing crisis involving Iran comes to an end.”

Due to security concerns within Pakistan, the PSL was initially launched in 2016 on the ‘neutral’ grounds of the United Arab Emirates.

Naqvi remarked, “I feel deeply for the spectators in Peshawar, who were set to have the opportunity to watch a match on their home soil for the very first time.”

Naqvi further clarified that the PCB would compensate the franchise owners for any revenue losses incurred due to the absence of spectators. The majority of the revenue generated from match tickets (gate money) goes to the franchises.

The 11th season of the PSL will run until May 3.