PSL 2026 to be played behind closed doors; all matches to be hosted in Lahore and Karachi

Matches in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 will be held in front of empty stadiums owing to the ongoing West Asia crisis. Also, only two venues - Karachi and Lahore - will host the matches. Earlier, six venues were scheduled to host matches in Pakistan's premier T20 tournament. It is also important to note that the opening ceremony in Lahore has been scrapped.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi left the door ajar for fans to witness the later stages of the tournament from the stands, but that would be a possibility only if the "crisis" in Iran concludes. "Perhaps it ends in 10 days, perhaps 15."

The conflict in West Asia has also caused a significant oil crisis across the globe, the impact of which has severely affected Pakistan, especially with the disruptions to oil supply in the Strait of Hormuz.

"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. Looking at all of this and after discussions with our security agencies, we decided that the PSL would continue as per the original schedule," Naqvi was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

"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," he added.

Naqvi also vowed to take legal action against players who pulled out of their PSL contracts to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Blessing Muzarabani was the first player to skip the PSL to join an IPL team - Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the upcoming season. Recently, Dasun Shanaka is in line to withdraw from the PSL and sign with the Rajasthan Royals. Last year, Corbin Bosch started the trend and was banned for a year by the PSL authorities.

The upcoming edition of the PSL will commence on March 26, two days before the start of IPL 2026. The former will conclude on May 3. Meanwhile, the IPL 2026 final is set to be held on May 31.