The so-called best T20 franchise league in the world, Pakistan Super League, is not seeing great participation and popularity among fans in the playoffs, which is proving to be a huge strain on PCB.
The issue, specifically, came to light after the PSL 9 Qualifier 1 match between Multan Sultans and Peshawar Zalmi, saw only a handful of people present at the National Stadium. Despite this, the knockout rounds will not be moved to Karachi.
After hosting the first qualifying match, the National Stadium Karachi is all set to host the tie between Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators later today. Then the second qualifying match between Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta or Islamabad is tomorrow and the final is on Monday, March 18.
Logistical challenges: The real reason Karachi will host all PSL 9 knockout matches
According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, after they spoke to some PSL officials in Pakistan, it was revealed that there is a major problem when it comes to moving the knockout matches out of Karachi. And that reason is the logistical challenge that the PCB will face in hosting the final round elsewhere in the country.
The cost involved in changing the entire tournament, and also the last few matches, could prove to be a burden on the Pakistan Cricket Board. Not only the cost, but since the Qualifying 1, Playoff and Qualifying 2 matches are scheduled to take place on 3 consecutive days (14th, 15th and 16th), changing the venue could affect the start of the matches.
Also, things cannot be done so quickly unless the board of directors is the BCCI, which is just a few calls away from moving its tournament out of the country, in case such issues arise. We have seen in the past that the BCCI organized the IPL on foreign soil on more than one occasion.
The first time it happened was in 2009, during the Lok Sabha elections, which were held at the time of IPL Second edition that took place entirely in South Africa. Then in 2014, half of the IPL was held in the UAE due to union elections, while in 2020, the tournament was moved to the same country due to the COVID-19 surge in India.
But the PSL doesn’t have enough funds, right? It is something (taking out the PSL) that PCB can only dream of and their only place outside their homeland is the United Arab Emirates.
PSL official sheds light on Karachi National Stadium
The PSL report stated that the National Stadium in Karachi is an important venue as it served as the venue for two teams – Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators. Meanwhile, the round of 16 will be held in Karachi due to neutrality.
Another reason is that the PCB had thought that large crowds would turn up to watch the PSL 9 knockout games and although that did not happen last night, the board’s stance will remain the same. “We have moved to a home-and-away format and Karachi is home to the Kings and the Gladiators.” – the PSL official told ESPNcricinfo.