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Residents gather outside the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium after a drone strike, allegedly by India, on Thursday [Sohail Shahzad\/EPA]<\/p>\nPakistan postpones its Twenty20 league indefinitely, scrapping UAE relocation plan, as tension with India escalates.<\/p>\n
The Pakistan Cricket Board has postponed its Pakistan Super League T20 cricket tournament following rising military tensions between India and Pakistan.<\/p>\n
The PCB said it acted on advice from Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.<\/p>\n
\u201cCricket, while being a unifying force and a source of joy, must take a respectful pause,\u201d the PCB said in a statement on Friday evening.<\/p>\n
The PCB had earlier confirmed that it would relocate the eight remaining PSL matches to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, citing growing concerns among overseas players and the need to prioritise their safety.<\/p>\n
The latest announcement, however, said the PSL was being postponed and gave no indication of whether this year\u2019s edition would resume.<\/p>\n
The cities of Rawalpindi, Multan and Lahore had been scheduled to host the remaining PSL games.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, an Indian drone fell inside the complex of the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium hours before the start of a PSL game in which several cricketers from New Zealand, Australia, the West Indies, South Africa and England were due to compete.<\/p>\n
Residents gather outside the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium after a drone strike, allegedly by India, on Thursday [Sohail Shahzad\/EPA]<\/p>\n
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the interior minister in the Pakistan government, held meetings with foreign cricketers and six franchise owners of the PSL before initially saying the tournament was being moved to Dubai.<\/p>\n
England cricketer Sam Billings, New Zealand\u2019s Colin Munro, South African Rilee Rossouw and Jason Holder of the West Indies were among 43 foreign cricketers competing in the PSL.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe 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,\u201d the PCB statement said.<\/p>\n
The PSL, in its 10th edition, started in the UAE in 2016. The UAE hosted the first two editions of the PSL, except for the final in 2017, and also some of the games in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
Munro\u2019s Islamabad United are the defending champions in the six-team league. Rossouw\u2019s Quetta Gladiators lead the points table and have already qualified for the playoff stage while Multan Sultans, led by Pakistan\u2019s Mohammad Rizwan, were eliminated after losing eight of their nine league games.<\/p>\n
The three other teams are Peshawar Zalmi, captained by Babar Azam; Karachi Kings, skippered by Australian David Warner and Lahore Qalandars.<\/p>\n