The Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 is set to commence under unprecedented circumstances, with matches to be played in empty stadiums due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that the tournament will proceed, but with major changes to its original plan. Instead of six venues across the country, matches will now be restricted to just two cities – Lahore and Karachi. Adding to the scaled-back nature of this year’s event, the highly anticipated opening ceremony in Lahore has also been cancelled.
"The Prime Minister requested all of Pakistan to restrict their movements because of the fuel crisis. We closed schools and instituted work from home and increased the number of Eid holidays. We don't know how long this war will last," PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said at the press conference.
"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,” Naqvi added.
As per the previous schedule, the tournament was set to be staged across six cities – Multan, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Lahore. However, the ongoing conflict has forced the authorities to hold the tournament only in two cities. Meanwhile, the PSL is set to begin on 26 March.