The Pakistan Super League (PSL) was halted midway after a possible drone attack at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The match was called off, and later the tournament was paused as Pakistan tried to shift the tournament to the United Arab Emirates. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reached out to the officials in the UAE, but a new development suggests that the latter has rejected the request.
According to a report in PTI, the UAE officials have rejected Pakistan’s request, citing security concerns amid the rising tension between India and Pakistan. The Emirates Cricket Board has worked with BCCI previously to host the IPL 2014, IPL 2021, T20 World Cup and recently the Champions Trophy 2025. It is unclear if the UAE board had rejected the request, following Pakistan’s attack on Indian borders.
“The Emirates Cricket Board has enjoyed a strong relationship with BCCI in recent years having hosted the ‘India’ edition of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, editions of the IPL as well as India matches during ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The UAE has a diverse South Asian population which enjoys cricket. Hosting a tournament like the PSL in the midst of such tense circumstances could vitiate harmony, pose security risks and stir unnecessary friction between communities,” a source stated in the PTI report.
Notably, Dubai is also the headquarters of the International Cricket Council (ICC), which is currently headed by former BCCI secretary Jay Shah.
As things stand, Pakistan remain undecided on the future of the remaining eight matches of the PSL. Initially, the plan was to host in Karachi, but after the matter escalated and PCB was forced to plan a new venue for the rest of the tournament. Now that the Emirates board has rejected PCB’s request, they are very likely to reach out to Oman or Qatar.
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