The Pakistan Super League (PSL 2026) is set to be played behind closed doors, with Lahore and Karachi being the only two venues due to the ongoing fuel crisis due to West Asia conflict, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi confirmed on March 22, 2026.
The tournament will also be played in only two venues—Lahore and Karachi—instead of the originally planned six stadiums. In addition to this, the opening ceremony of PSL 2026 in Lahore has also been cancelled.
The conflict in West Asia has also caused a global oil crisis, which has had a significant impact in Pakistan, particularly with disruptions to oil supply in the Strait of Hormuz.
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi hinted that the later stages of the tournament may be held in front of a large crowd, but only if Iran's "crisis" were resolved.
"Perhaps it ends in 10 days, perhaps 15. The prime minister requested that all of Pakistan restrict their movements because of the fuel crisis. We closed schools, instituted work from home, and increased the number of Eid holidays. We don't know how long this war will last.
Looking at all of this and after discussions with our security agencies, we decided that the PSL would continue as per the original schedule. But we can't ask people to restrict their movements and then have 30,000 people in stadiums every day. We decided that as long as this crisis is ongoing, we will not have crowds at matches. This was a difficult decision, but it needed to be made. The opening ceremony will also be cancelled,” PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi said in a presser.
“Consultations regarding the PSL had been ongoing for several days. We don’t know how long the current situation will persist, but hosting the PSL is essential. It is an international brand, and foreign players are involved. Everyone is eager for the PSL to go ahead,”
“If we had postponed the PSL, there would be no window later to hold it. We have prepared a new schedule that minimises team movements,” Naqvi added.
Naqvi stated that the franchises will be compensated by the PCB for the loss of revenue resulting from empty crowds, as the majority of the ticket sales portion goes to the team management.
He also offered to repay everyone who had already purchased tournament tickets. He apologized to the cities that would no longer be able to host matches, particularly Peshawar, which was slated to host one match on March 28, and vowed that the PSL would be open to new venues the following year.
"Because there are no crowds anyway, there was no reason to go to those cities. And we have to restrict our movements so resources are not wasted,” Naqvi stated.
PSL has also suffered from foreign players choosing to leave, with many of them signing up with the rival Indian Premier League for the IPL 2026. Many of them have been signed as injury replacements with known names such as Blessing Muzarabani and Dasun Shanaka.
Other players have withdrawn as well, including Gudakesh Motie, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Ottneil Baartman, and Spencer Johnson, all of whom cited personal reasons.
Naqvi also promised to take legal action against players who have left the PSL for the IPL at the last minute, with the two leagues clashing.
"We will take action against those players according to the rules. There was a case last year, too [referring to Corbin Bosch, who was banned from the PSL for one year], and the same thing will happen this time.
Clashing with the IPL is not an issue because if players are going there, we're getting excellent players coming here as well. We could not afford to postpone the PSL because we have no other window all year,” Naqvi stated at the press conference.
(ESPNCricinfo/Cricketnext inputs)
