Islamabad: To resolve the ongoing deadlock over security expenditures for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight’s Lahore and Rawalpindi leg, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee Chairman Najam Sethi has reached out to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for assistance.

The fate of PSL fixtures in the two Punjab cities, including the final scheduled in Lahore on March 19, remains uncertain as Punjab’s interim Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi insists that his cabinet is not willing to sanction the expenses for holding the tournament.

Last year, the Punjab government reportedly spent Rs600 million on the PSL. However, Naqvi has said that his cabinet is not ready to sanction the expenses this time due to being an interim setup. Sethi, who briefed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif today (Sunday) on the issue of security expenses, has received assurances of complete support and assistance from the premier. The PCB chairman said that the matches will have to be shifted to Karachi if the government does not stop demanding money for security, refusing to fulfill the demands. Sethi said that the PSL is a national tournament and the national institutions are responsible for its arrangements. Earlier, the interim government of Punjab asked for Rs250 million in addition to the already-paid Rs50 from the PCB for security arrangements and other expenses for the PSL matches.

Previously, the government had sought Rs500 million, out of which Rs50m had been provided. When the PCB refused to give any more money, the government reduced the remaining amount to Rs250m, however, the cricket board refused that too. Afterward, the PCB decided that only two matches of the ongoing PSL8 will be held in Lahore, and the remaining shifted to Karachi.

Published in The Daily National Courier, February, 27 2023

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