PSL 2025 has been postponed amid the ongoing cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan.
The PCB may not have mentioned the real reason in their official statement, but it is learnt that the Emirates Cricket Board declined their request to play the remaining PSL matches in Dubai.
According to a Cricbuzz report, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) played a part in ensuring that the remainder of the PSL not being completed in the UAE and the Emirates Cricket Board rejecting the PCB's plea.
Apparently, the UAE's cricket board shares a healthy bond with the BCCI and even the ICC chairman, Jay Shah. The relations between India and UAE have been great after the latter hosted one half of the IPL season twice in addition to the 2021 T20 World Cup.
“We owe it to the BCCI and Jay Bhai,” Cricbuzz quoted an ECB official as saying.
The report also quoted another official who expressed that there is no point in staying quiet when soldiers are fighting at the border.
“When soldiers are dying at the border, we cannot keep quiet,” Cricbuzz quoted another official as saying.
On Friday (May 9), the PCB cited worsening situation between India and Pakistan as the reason behind the postponement of PSL.
"The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announces the postponement of the remaining eight matches of the HBL PSL X. The last 24 hours have seen a worsening of the situation on the LOC, increased incursion of 78 drones, and the firing of surface-to-surface missiles from India," the official statement stated.
"The decision to postpone has been taken pursuant to advice received from the Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif," it added.
The board also admitted that the players were hesitant to participate in the remainder of the tournament, considering the situation in Pakistan.
"We, at the PCB, also have sincere regard for the mental well-being of participating players and the sentiments of our foreign players, and we respect the concerns of their families who want to see them back home," the statement concluded.