Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Najam Sethi reached out to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in order to break the deadlock with the caretaker Punjab government over security expenditures of the Pakistan Super League.
PSL matches fixtures in the two Punjab cities — including the final scheduled to take place in Lahore on 19th March 19 remain still pending, as Punjab’s interim Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi insisted that his cabinet is not willing to back off from the security expenditures for holding the tournament.
Also Read: My Anthem is much better than the official PSL Anthem: Chahat Fateh Ali Khan
Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi told media in Lahore that the Punjab government had spent Rs600 million on the PSL last year, adding “his cabinet is not ready to sanction the expenses” this time due to being an interim setup.
On which Najam Sethi contacted the premier and briefed him on the issue of security expenses, said the sources, adding that PM Shehbaz assured the PCB chief of complete support and assistance.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured full support to the PCB Management Committee over the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight matches in Punjab.
According to credible sources, Najam Sethi during the meeting reiterated that the PCB won’t pay the additional cost for security arrangements. He added that if the demand is not withdrawn by the Punjab government, the PCB will be forced to shift matches to Karachi.
It must be noted that the PCB and the PSL franchises unanimously decided Friday not to pay an additional cost of Rs450m to the Punjab government.
After which PCB held a meeting with PSL Franchises and decided to shift the matches to Karachi.
They further said that the PCB has already paid Rs50 million for food and beverages to the Punjab government. However, the provincial government is pressurising the board to pay the remaining Rs450 million as soon as possible in order to make security arrangements.
Remember that The opening ceremony of PSL 8 was held in Multan on 13 February 202. The first match was played between 2021 winners Multan Sultans and defending champions Lahore Qalandars; meanwhile, the final will be played on 19th March in Lahore.
