The remaining matches of the Pakistan Super League season (PSL 8) will continue in Lahore, and Rawalpindi as per schedule, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed on Sunday.
The PCB’s Management Committee chief Najam Sethi announced this development on Twitter.
“Good news: CM Punjab Mohsin Naqvi Saheb has been kind enough to agree to share cost of lighting routes during PSL matches in Lahore. HBl PSL8 matches in Lahore and Pindi shall continue as scheduled,” tweeted Sethi.
The announcement comes after the cricket board and the interim government of Punjab reached a consensus on a financial dispute regarding security arrangements’ cost following Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s mediation for breaking the stalemate.
Earlier, the PCB had decided to move the PSL matches from Lahore and Rawalpindi to Karachi after following a deadlock with the caretaker setup on the same issue.
The dispute concerned the split of security costs for hosting the tournament. The provincial government had demanded Rs450 million for matches held or to be held in Punjab, i.e., Multan, Lahore, and Rawalpindi.
However, the cricket board, which had an agreement to pay Rs50 million with the previous government that dissolved in January, refused to pay this amount.
The PCB was also willing to pay Rs50 million for catering in Punjab, too, but remained reluctant to foot the bill for security, which it believed is the responsibility of the provincial government.
In the evolving situation, Karachi became the natural alternative because the Sindh government did not require the PCB to pay a share of the security costs and only requires remuneration for catering to security personnel. That cost is understood to be around Rs30 million.
As per the original PSL schedule, Karachi was to host nine PSL games this season with its last scheduled game on February 26, before the action moves to Lahore and Rawalpindi.
Rawalpindi is scheduled to host 11 PSL 8 matches this season, while the all-important playoffs and final of the tournament are scheduled to be played at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
The final will be played on March 19.