Pakistan Super League 2021 unlikely to resume in the UAE
The sixth edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) is unlikely to resume in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after the nation announced a ban on travelers from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, the travel ban will come into effect from Wednesday. The PSL 2021 was postponed indefinitely in March after several players tested COVID-19 positive.
PCB was in talks with the Emirates Cricket Board
The Pakistan Cricket Board was in talks with the Emirates Cricket Board to complete the remaining PSL season. The plan was to hold 20 matches of the PSL in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from June 1. However, the travel ban has thwarted PCB's hopes.
Earlier, Karachi was announced as host venue for remaining matches
The board had previously announced that the remaining PSL games will be played in Karachi between June 1 and 20. However, the impact of COVID-19 in Karachi forced the Pakistani board mull over other possibilities. The 2021 edition of the tournament had been suspended on March 3 as several players and support staff in Karachi contracted the virus.
Karachi could still host the remaining matches
An official asserted that Karachi is still in contention to host the remaining matches. "The PCB was expecting things to be finalised in next 24 hours due to the Eid holidays in both countries but now with this ban imposed by the UAE government till May 12, the only option available is to hold the matches in Karachi," said the source.
Not the right time to play cricket: Javed Miandad
Pakistan legend Javed Miandad recently slammed the board for rescheduling PSL amid the catastrophic situation.
"I think this is not the right time to be playing cricket when all the focus is on saving lives from this dreaded virus," he said.
"In these times of crisis, we should be more focused on saving lives rather than playing cricket."
The UAE hosted the inaugural PSL season
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) had hosted the inaugural season of PSL that was won by Islamabad United. As many as two venues, Dubai and Sharjah, were used. The UAE recently hosted the entire Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 as India couldn't conduct the tournament due to COVID-19 outbreak. It could still be a possible venue for scheduling the remaining IPL season.
