PSL 6 could be postponed: PCB

'Some of the conditions put forth by the UAE authorities make it next to impossible for the PCB to host the matches in UAE.'

The Pakistan Cricket Board on Wednesday said it would be forced to postpone the remaining matches of PSL 6 if it doesn't get required approvals from the relevant authorities in the UAE in the next 24 hours.

The PCB has informed the six franchise owners in an online session that it had put off a final decision on the hosting of remaining Pakistan Super League matches 6 till Thursday.

The PCB, in a statement, confirmed that it had received certain approvals from the relevant authorities in the UAE but some issues still need to be sorted out.

"If we do not receive clarity by Thursday afternoon, then we have no other option but to request postponement of the remaining 20 matches," PCB CEO Wasim Khan said in a statement.

Khan's deadline came during a detailed online discussion with the owners of the six PSL franchises about the possibility of conducting the remaining matches of the league in Abu Dhabi.

A seven-member PCB team has been in the UAE since the last one week and has been trying to get required approvals from the authorities through the Emirates Cricket Board to host the matches in Abu Dhabi.

But according to a reliable source, since the UAE government has placed a ban on all outbound flights from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka to the UAE due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in these countries, the PCB is facing problems in getting approvals.

"Some of the conditions put forth by the UAE authorities make it next to impossible for the PCB to host the matches in UAE," the PCB source said.

The PCB has scheduled the remaining PSL 6 matches from June 1 to 20 after it had to suspend the league in March in Karachi.

The decision to suspend PSL 6 was taken after the successful completion of just 14 of the 34 scheduled games due to rising COVID-19 positive cases among the players and officials.

The PCB then decided to hold the remaining matches in the UAE after the National Command and Operations Authority, which monitors the COVID-19 situation in Pakistan, had advised it against holding the games again in Karachi.

The PCB in its statement said that following detailed discussions, in which all potential scenarios were reviewed and analysed, it was unanimously agreed to wait until the close of business on Thursday (UAE time) before a final decision on hosting of the remaining matches are made.

"In today's online discussion, we updated the team owners that the PCB had been advised that the PSL had received approvals from the relevant authorities in the UAE. However, some clarifications on certain exemption requests are still awaited, which are expected at some stage on Thursday," Khan said.

"The team owners agreed that if we do not receive clarity by Thursday afternoon, then they will have no other option but to request postponement of the remaining 20 matches.

"In the meantime, we will continue to liaise with the UAE government and the Emirates Cricket Board as they are equally keen for the event to be held in the UAE.”

If the remaining matches of the PSL 6 are not held this year, the PCB and franchise owners could face potential revenue and broadcasting losses in millions of dollars.