Iran war fallout forces Pakistan Super League into empty stadiums and 2-city footprint

By Canadian Press on March 25, 2026.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The war in Iran is having a flow on impact on the biggest sports spectacle of the year in neighboring Pakistan.

It’ll be like the COVID-19 era revisited for the Pakistan Super League, with no spectators allowed into games in the Twenty20 cricket franchise competition starting Thursday at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Cricket is the pinnacle of sports in Pakistan, just as it is in India and other parts of a subcontinental region of more than 1.5 billion people.

It’s entertainment, it’s business, and the PSL is the marquee domestic event. This year, it’s starting days before the Indian Premier League, the world’s most lucrative cricket competition, and competing to attract star players.

Yet there’ll be no opening ceremony, no fans and the tournament will be contained to two venues rather than the original six.

The reason? The Middle East conflict has resulted in exorbitant hikes for fuel in the region, and Pakistan’s government is urging people to restrict travel and to work from home.

So after years of building up the league, organizers are going back to basics.

Tough call

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi said it wouldn’t be right to have 30,000 fans attending cricket matches every day while the government is asking the public to stay home.

“We decided that as long as this crisis is ongoing, we will not have crowds at matches,” he said. “This was a difficult decision, but it needed to be made.”

Past troubles

Last year the Pakistan Super League and the Indian Premier League were suspended for a while during heightened military tensions, but both returned to action and completed seasons after the neighboring countries agreed to a ceasefire.

A TV event

T20 cricket is the quickest form of the game at the elite level, can be finished within three hours and is designed for prime time TV.

That’s important, because that’s the only way regular fans will get to see the PSL.

As well as the last-minute decision to ban fans from attending, the league’s organizers have also reduced the tournament to two cities – Lahore and Karachi – which will split 44 games in 39 days. Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Peshawar and Multan were scrapped as venues this season.

“PSL is reducing the wider logistical footprint associated with a multi-city tournament, including transport, venue operations, and utility demands, while ensuring continuity of Pakistan’s premier cricket event,” the Pakistan Cricket Board said.

That means players from at least three teams – Rawalpindi, Multan and Peshawar – will be away all season.

“It’s a real shame that we aren’t able to play at home — I guess that’s the nature of a few things that are going on in the world,” said New Zealander Daryl Mitchell, who was signed by expansion franchise Rawalpindi at the PSL auction.

Mitchell posted back-to-back ODI centuries at the Pindi Cricket Stadium three years ago and said he’d been savoring a chance to play there again.

“A number of us international guys have been part of the COVID bubbles back in the day where there were no crowds,” he said, reflecting on the tight security, physical distance regulations and empty stadiums for cricket events staged during the pandemic. “So I’m sure it may feel a little bit like that at times in the first few games.

“Let’s hope that toward the end of the tournament we can get some crowds in, and especially hopefully that the final can be packed out.”

Returns

The Pakistan Cricket Board has promised refunds for all tickets purchased in advance, and Naqvi said franchise owners would also be compensated.

While cricket fans generally understood the decision to go ahead with the tournament in just two cities, some still wanted to be there.

“I would have traveled to Lahore to support my Rawalpindi team,” said Hussain Mustafa, a graduate student. “I know it’s tough times for the country because of the fuel crisis, but tickets for at least half of the stadium should have been put on sale.”

Players from Australia, New Zealand, England, West Indies, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe will join local stars competing in the eight-team tournament.

“I’m really looking forward to the new franchise and hopefully winning a few games of cricket for the Pindiz,” Mitchell said. “Hopefully we can put plenty of smiles on all the fans’ faces.”

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Rizwan Ali, The Associated Press